Movie Review - Mothers' Instinct

Director: Benoit Delhomme
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 94 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Anders Danielsen Lie, Josh Charles, Caroline Lagerfelt
 
Description: Alice (Jessica Chastain) and Celine (Anne Hathaway) live a traditional lifestyle with successful husbands and sons of the same age. Life’s perfect harmony is suddenly shattered after a tragic accident. Guilt, suspicion and paranoia combine to unravel their sisterly bond.

Review: Alice and Celine, in addition to being neighbors, are stay-at-home moms and best friends. They live the perfect family life of a family in the 1960s. Married to successful men and mothers of happy sons who also happen to be best friends. Their sweet life takes on a bitter aftertaste when a tragic accident happens to one of the families.

The haunting atmosphere that seeps through everything is tremendously well done. The grief is palpable in all the characters and touches deeply. The terrific acting sets this geeling. Jessica Chastain in particular put on a layered role in which grief, fear and guilt blend seamlessly. Only Anne Hathaway sometimes shoots a little to far, making some scenes a bit over the top.

Extra oppressive is the continues question of where the story is going and whether the various suspicions of the housewives are correct. It’s best to go into this movie with the least amount of info.
The creators of “Mothers’ Instinct” clearly took some inspiration from Hitchcock. The moments of tension and atmosphere can match those of a film by the master of suspense. At other moments it is all just a bit too over the top to be taken seriously. The ending might be a little less credible.

“Mothers’ Instinct” sets up a convincing and exciting story. The set design and costumes contribute to the atmosphere and the intense themes of grief and guilt are very well portrayed in the story. The ending took it a bit too far, but it’s still an amazing movie that I’m surprised not more people are talking about.

Rating: 4/ 5