Mother's Movie Review Instinct: Hathaway-Chastain's Acting Combination In Classical Premis

Jessica Chastain (Neon)

JAKARTA - Mother's Instinct is the latest thriller film to air this week. Beno Okyat Delhomme made this film his directorial debut which he has been working on since 2020.

This film is a remake of a film called Duelles from France which was released in 2018. This film is also an adaptation of Barbara Abel's book of the same name.

Delhome is known for her work in various films as a cinematographer. Now, she is starting to explore the world of cinema by becoming a director and bringing together two Academy Award winning actresses, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain.

Mothers' Instinct tells the story of Alice (Jessica Chastain) and Celine (Anne Hathaway), two friendly neighbors. They live happily with their husbands and both have one son who is also a good friend at school.

All that changed after Celine's daughter, Max (Baylen D. Bielitz) died after falling from the balcony of her second floor home. Celine was even more disappointed when she found out that Alice witnessed the incident and did not rush to help Max there.

Alice's daughter, Theo (Eamon Patrick O'Connell) who is a friend of the late Max also tries to entertain Celine who continues to mourn. Theo's presence became a hope for Celine and they became so close that Celine returned to normal.

The closeness of those who initially looked beautiful actually caused the seeds of jealousy and questions for Alice. Alice's feelings began to suspect Celine who was trying to be close to Theo. Alice began to find out what she suspected was true.

Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway's acting stole the attention throughout the film. Both display an expression full of ambiguity in playing the character of a wife and mother.

As a result, the tension between the two developed slowly. The audience will see the transition from how they view each other well to changing drastically. The narrative also supports how the competition between the two rolled out.

The revelation may feel long, but that's what Mothers' Instinct is interesting to follow. The duality between Alice's and Celine's characters certainly raises questions about what their real purpose is?

Instead of sprinkling the plot twist, Delhomme spreads tensions through scene by scene. The conversation scene, which at first glance looks normal, actually contains a hidden meaning which is the main reason why they interact.

With the background of the 1960s story, this film also features a fun production and visual design. The concept of the story may be found in various films but the execution can be enjoyed, especially with the acting of the two main characters that are interesting.

Meanwhile, the film Mothers' Instinct will air starting today, Friday, March 8 in Indonesian cinemas.