Mama (2013)

Mama (2013)

Mama initially generated a huge following upon its release and garnered generally good reviews while in theatres, but once it was released on DVD its ratings began to sink, similar to The Conjuring.  Why is this?  I have no idea.  Sometimes once outside the theatre horror movies lose some of their scare factor, but I don’t think this should negatively affect the way a film is judged.   I appreciate Del Toro returning working on his creepy stuff with kids genre, as is tradition.

The Plot

Jeffrey (Nikolaj Coster-Waldeau) is a hard working family man.  One day while in a panicky stressed out rage, he kills his wife and kidnaps his two daughters.  I heard she was kind of a bitch anyway.  Once he nabs the two young girls he takes them out of the city, deep into the woods.  Luckily (not for the kids) he happens upon a cabin that he decides would the perfect place to commit a double murder suicide.   Through tears and much hesitation, Jeffrey finally works up some courage and pulls a gun on one of his young, insanely innocent looking daughters.  He is about to pull the trigger but at the last second is grabbed by a shadowy figure and with a gut wrenching scream, is dragged into the darkness of the cabin.  That night, while the children huddle together in the cabin, a cherry rolls out from one particularly dark corner of the cabin.  They aren’t alone.  

Years later, a couple of woodsmen find the long abandoned cabin, and in the process discover two very feral young girls.  After medical and psychiatric evaluation, Jeffrey’s twin brother Lucas (also Nikolaj Coster-Waldeau) is informed of the seemingly impossible survival of his nieces.  Lucas and his girlfriend Annabell (Jessica Chastain) live paycheck to paycheck with little to no responsibilities.

I don't even think I would trust her to take care of a goldfish

The youngish couple decide to take on the two children and raise them as their own rather than handing them over to Lucas and Jeffrey’s aunt, who by all accounts would have been a far better candidate. 

After a couple days things are going swimmingly.  The children, though still somewhat feral and untrusting, start to warm up to Lucas and Anna (I refuse to call her Annabell anymore).  Unfortunately, the girls didn’t exactly come alone.  Something kept them alive during their time in the woods.  An entity they refer to only as Mama cared for them and provided for them during their time in the woods, and she isn’t exactly pleased with the departure of her two little angels.  Strange occurrences around the house indicate that this Mama has in fact followed the girls to their new home, and Mama wants her babies back.

My Take

I was really taken by the psychology of this movie.  The nature vs. nurture argument is prevalent in this film, as we get to see how years of isolation from society affects children of different ages.  Victoria was a little older when she vanished, and even retained some memories of her father, which she immediately applied to Lucas upon her return.   It still takes her a while to acclimate to civilization but she still appears to be capable of developing into a normal child, though she will likely develop some severe trust issues and an ever prevalent fear of abandonment.  Lily who was basically a baby at the time of her disappearance, has a much more difficult time adjusting to civilization. 

She might as well have been raised by wolves

I applaud Jessica Chastain for managing to be hot in this movie.  I normally don’t find her very attractive, but something about that black bowl cut and her punk rock attire just does it for me…  Moving on.

The acting in this movie will obviously be criticised, as is tradition in movies featuring children playing prominent roles.  Apparently the young actress who played Lily can barely even speak English, making her inability to master language in the film even more believable.  I thought that everyone turned in at least a solid performance, and  since I am a GOT fan boy, I pre-emptively love anything my beloved Jaime Lannister does.  He could have literally ridden around on a horse in this movie and I would have still stood behind his performance.  One stand out thing you have to appreciate about this film is the performance of Mama.  She is creepy as fuck, and even creepier when you realize the only part of her that is CGI is her floating hair.  In fact Mama is actually played by a tall, thin alien-like man with a bit of makeup.

And he hates paparazzi

There is nothing I hate more than needless CGI.  This film has a couple scenes where the CGI seems unnecessary, cough cough crawling hair on the ground, but for the most part it relies on strong storytelling and a talented cast to deliver an original and scary film. 

The Verdict

I absolutely loved this movie after seeing it, and still loved it after the second and third time.  This is an excellent addition to the horror genre that offers something new, which in a genre congested with an endless stream of remakes and re-imaginings is quite refreshing.  It has all the makings of a cult classic, and will be one of my favourite horror movies for quite some time.

8.1/10