«Motherly» - Movie Review by Kinoafisha

Kate lives with her daughter Beth in a secluded house. The girl seems introverted and reclusive, and to make matters worse, her mother doesn't allow her to go out or even go to school, forcing her to stay at home. The reason for this is that Kate's husband and Beth's father is in prison for murder - he killed their daughter's classmate. So, the family was relocated under the witness protection program, and they are only visited by the local police officer.

Right from the start, it seems that something strange is happening in the house. But the real nightmare begins one evening when strange hooded figures appear at the doorstep.

There are situations when a film attracts attention with the name of the director (if someone like Christopher Nolan is directing, for example) or with the big names of the actors. The audience can anticipate what to expect from the premiere. With "Motherly", it's exactly the opposite. But that's the main charm of the film.

Not many people may be familiar with the television director Craig David Wallace, although he directed the entire first season of the solid horror series "Slasher" and came up with the teenage dark comedy "Todd and the Book of Pure Evil". And the actors here are not from the top tier.

The author takes advantage of this unfamiliarity and even teases the audience, using his experience in horror films. From the very beginning, everything literally hints at a standard plot about a house with either ghosts or some maniac in the basement. Here, you have the dark girl who scares her mother, and the dark family history. Everything unfolds into a familiar storyline. Moreover, Russian distributors added many necessary horror-related (but not for this film) words like "curse," "hide-and-seek," "survival" to the concise "Motherly."

What happens next becomes even more interesting. Somewhere after half an hour of necessary build-up, the film abruptly changes genre, turning into a more grounded but no less suspenseful story. Like classic family thrillers, "Motherly" traditionally asks the question: what are you willing to do for your loved ones? And both the characters on screen and the hero who doesn't even appear in the film are drawn into this almost philosophical dialogue. And apparently, the audience should be as well.

Unfortunately, there is not enough time for full immersion - the film lasts less than an hour and a half. But in that short period devoted to the main plot (remember the almost half-hour setup), the action manages to twist in the most unexpected ways several times. The plot even splits into two storylines. One of them is almost static, featuring a dialogue about revenge and responsibility that, at one point, even leans towards "torture porn" (but fortunately doesn't go into that genre). The other one is about the very hide-and-seek.

Strangely enough, the foundation of the plot still remains an unusual family drama. Yes, by the end, some moments reveal themselves too directly. Perhaps "Motherly" would have benefitted from a bit more ambiguity. But still, everything that happens fits into the right puzzle piece at the perfect pace. Each character takes their place and, importantly, expresses emotions.

It is precisely this element, combined with the clever genre shift, that forgives all the minor flaws and hastiness. This is an interesting cinematic therapy that will make you contemplate what justice really means. And the finale completely turns the audience's perception of certain characters upside down, making us realize that people, especially families, are much more complex than they seem at first glance.