Mother, Couch

I think this film deserves a review even though I'm still processing some of the scenes.

This is not an easy story to describe. So I understand some negative reviews that may be posted.

Much of the investment is with McGregor's character and his relationship with his mother. This unfolds initially as a straight-forward affair of a son whose mom refuses to leave a furniture store (staking her claim on a specific couch in the store).

As the story progresses, you begin to realize not everything is as it seems. Once you realize this, the film takes on a different light and the focus on McGregor's character becomes a bit more justified.

Still, I think the brother and sister deserved a little more substance of character than what was provided. Kudos to Lara Flynn Boyle for making the most out of something less.

"Mother Couch" (2024), directed by Niclas Larsson, is an ambitious and daring exploration of the abstract, fusing dark drama and comedy in a way that defies traditional storytelling.

What stands out most in "Mother Couch" is its bold attempt to blend art with narrative. Larsson's vision feels more like a visual art installation than a conventional film, designed for viewers who have an appreciation for the slow, dark, and often bizarre corners of cinema. The film's pacing is deliberate, with long, introspective scenes that some might find tiresome, but those with a passion for art-house films will likely find it thought-provoking. This is a movie that requires patience and an openness to unconventional forms of storytelling.

At its core, "Mother Couch" seems to be about the art of healing, showing how unresolved family dynamics can manifest in strange ways. The characters, though emotionally distant at times, ultimately search for closure, making this film a contemplative piece on the complexities of human relationships.

While it may not cater to mainstream tastes, "Mother Couch" is a unique entry for cinephiles who seek something different, especially those interested in the fusion of art and film. It's an experimental journey that, while imperfect, deserves credit for its originality and daring approach to dark comedy.

Surreal yet drab drama "Mother Couch" is another pretentious art-house bore that tries so hard to be clever with its analogies & hidden meanings that it ends up as incomprehensible tosh... wasting in this case a fine & under-rated cast. When bitter old Ellen Burstyn refuses to leave a run-down warehouse-like furniture store run by Taylor Russell (terrific) & F Murray Abraham, her kids Ewan MacGregor (with wife Lake Bell), Rhys Ifans & Lara Flynn Boyle get involved... resulting in old (and new!) wounds opening. This debut of writer (adapting Jirker Virdborg's novel 'Mamma I Soffa') / director Niclas Larsson won't have many hungering to see what he serves up next. Hard pass.

I must say at the outset that I wanted to like this film, because symbolic, metaphorical, low-budget, chamber-drama-like works are very close to my heart. Unfortunately, Niclas Larsson (who is responsible for such great works as... well, yeah) hasn't the faintest idea how to direct a film or write a script, because the end result is so fake, incoherent, wannabe-deep, boring and so frustratingly roundabout that anything the film was trying to say (not that there haven't been a million films made about grief work and letting go...) is completely meaningless because it just babbles, stammers, and then urinates under itself.

I have no idea how Larsson was able to blackmail these stars into appearing in this botched film experiment, perhaps kidnapping their child or poisoning them with the venom of a rare species of South American snake for which only he has an antidote. In any case, it is certain that "Mother, Couch" will not ennoble anyone's CV. But one thing must be acknowledged: it's a perfect film for snobs, who are ready to project everything and its opposite into the infertile, barren nothingness at any time, if it makes them feel that they are more than the average cinema-goer, despite their mediocre intellect and awful taste.

OK so here's what happens. Mother (Ellen Burstyn) is in a store and sits down on a couch and refuses to move. Her 3 children Gruffud (Rhys Ifans), David (Ewan McGregor) and Linda (Lara Flynn Boyle) all meet up at the store to chat to their mother. They are perturbed at her not telling them why she won't move from the couch. There's lots of chat, but it is inane and banal chat which doesn't mean anything and doesn't tell us anything except all 3 of them seem slightly inept at life. This continues, until the end of the film. There are no redeeming factors. Ewan McGregor is his usual low grade self, quite how he gets jobs I have no idea. The dialogue is awful, there's no explanation of development of any characters, it really is appalling.

There does not seem to be a coherent story here, the score appears to match that of a farcical comedy, the acting is well below par except for Ellen Burstyn, and the dialogue is confusing and irritating in it's banal nonsensical way.

I honestly can't tell you what it's about because it doesn't seem to be about anything. I gave it a 2 and that's solely for Ellen Burstyn's part in it.