You Are Not My Mother

Unlike some other reviews suggest: this movie is not boring. And Samhain / Halloween was most certainly around in Ireland and celebrated with bonfires etc. A long, long time before this movie was set.

In my opinion, You Are Not My Mother is a simple, atmospheric horror movie. It has the feel of the Samhain / Halloween time of year in Ireland. For the most part the acting is strong. I found the scenes between the mother and daughter to be unsettling in a quiet way; which made them all the more frightening.

It is edge of your seat from opening scenes to the end credits? No. Does it scream big budget, with lots of effects? No.

But it doesn't need to. It does a damn good job of marrying folklore / mythology with horror, while also touching on the subjects of mental health and family relationships.

I was expecting an outlandish American horror from the description, I wasn't expecting an Irish movie about witchcraft and family woes.

I was expecting to see a few negative reviews, calling this out for being slow and boring, personally I would ignore them, and go into this with an open mind.

This film is deep, well measured, and very atmospheric. The story builds slowly, as does the action, naturally there's a crescendo at the end.

Very well acted, nicely filmed, and some nice, thoughtful, gritty visuals.

I was quite impressed with this, it held my attention, it surprised, and I liked the storyline, 7/10.

A good surprise. With a good story and full of important themes, the film is elevated by the talented cast and the very secure direction of Dolan (quite impressive for a debut).

It's not a terrifying horror film, maybe it even works better as a drama sometimes, but you always feel the tension in the air supported by a strong score and a naturally grey lighting (c'mon, more films in the UK and Ireland, this climate is perfect for horror 🤣).

After I watched this, it had me questioning if there is a deeper meaning to the movie rather than just what I saw. I think there is. I think this film makes the audience feel what it is like, to suffer with a serious mental illness. The movie is dark, ominous and eyrie. Throughout the entire 90 minutes it makes you exhausted waiting for something to happen. The film is disturbing in it's own way. Definitely worth a watch. But be prepared to feel unclean after and to be thinking about this movie for the next few months. Strong 5.

I really enjoy these independent horror films based on Celtic / Irish folklore. They have the things I feel that make a great horror tale. They have foreshadowing, crescendoing tension, atmosphere, drama and spirituality. Is this one as good as Witch or Hereditary, no. But it is definitely better than the one millionth remake of exorcist and demon possession films. Far better than a abysmal slasher film.

I really hope filmmakers look for more terror inducing folklore from past cultures. These really make good topics for horror enthusiasts. Okay, not all horror film fanatics are the same. But I definitely prefer this style of horror.

As for this film, I feel all of the actors gave very good performances. It's definitely worth a watch.