MOTHERLY
Directed by Craig David Wallace
Starring: Lora Burke, Tessa Kozma, Kristen MacCulloch, Nick Smyth, Colin Paradine
After her husband is convicted of murdering their daughter's best friend, Kate is living a reclusive life with her daughter Beth on an isolated farm, while she writes a book about the horrific incident. However the farm may be home to some secrets which could threaten the pair…
Motherly is a film whose plot can turn on a dime, even if the eventual destination is foreseeable.
This film sets out its stall early, grabbing the viewer with its very first scene. After some establishing shots showing how remote the farm is, the film cuts to Beth sitting blindfolded while her mother Kate stands in front of her brandishing a kitchen knife. This turns out to be something benign but the imagery definitely gets you in the mood for what's to come.
It becomes clear that all is not well with Kate. She has strict rules for Beth to follow and lashes out in anger when she is disobeyed. She keeps having flash- to the murder, and becomes overly anxious when Beth decides to hide somewhere in the vast farmhouse and barn. When Beth does jump out to scare her, Kate almost has a heart attack.
We also learn that Kate isn't a reliable witness to the past events. Her publisher has "notes" about the draft pages she's submitted, specifically about the timeline of events which apparently don't add up. She also has flash-backs to seeing Courtney's body, even though she wasn't there. There is also the impression that she's using her "womanly wiles" on Hal, the detective assigned to look after them, to keep him sympathetic.
After establishing its main characters, the film then starts laying in with the tension. This starts with Kate wondering whether she'd shut the front door when she went looking for Beth, as its now slightly ajar. We are given a very tense tour of the house as a knife-wielding Kate searches each room for signs of an intruder. The viewer is allowed, via pov shots taken from a distance, to be one step ahead and knows that there is indeed an unwelcome visitor.
There are some stunning character reveals here and motivations which are definitely understandable if not justifiable. The battle of wills play out in both the barn and the main house, and the dialogue is perfectly wrought. Things do start to get a bit bloody and there are some very effective practical effects.
THE VERDICT
While its possible to see where the story is headed, especially after we see more and more of what had happened in the past, that doesn't make the journey any less enjoyable. There are some great twists and turns to navigate along the way.