Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Apart from maybe managing to spook viewers against signing up for any fancy, isolated retreat for new mothers, the short film Mama Retreat doesn’t have a lot to offer in its 16-minute runtime. There seem to be a lot of interesting themes in there, but obviously, the limited timeline doesn’t allow space to explore them.
Directed and written by Eileen Álvarez, Mama Retreat follows a pregnant Mercedes (Annie Gonzalez) at a glamping retreat for expectant mothers, led by the blue-eyed Julie (Julianna Robinson). The film starts with the soon-to-be moms sitting in a circle and sharing their fears about motherhood, while Mercedes is the only one with nothing to contribute. “I guess I’m just kind of private,” is all Mercedes has to say. But soon, the moms seem intent on invading her personal space, turning the retreat into a nightmare for her.
Now, the immediate story problem that pops up in the first two minutes is the fact that Mercedes isn’t thrilled to be at the retreat at all. Why even sign up to spend time with other moms if you’re a “private” person and don’t even want to give it a real shot? Mercedes also happens to be the only person of color at the retreat, so there’s a subtle racial angle to the story – Mercedes simply doesn’t feel at ease around the white moms. The prejudice works both ways.
Annie Gonzalez skillfully captures her character’s awkwardness and deep-seated anxiety about impending motherhood. At the heart of the story is her fear of not being a “good mom,” which becomes the central theme. This adds an extra layer of suspense, leaving viewers to question whether the unsettling events at the retreat are real or simply a manifestation of her spiraling anxiety. Julianna Robinson is effectively unsettling as the alpha mom, subtly manipulating the others to fall in line with her will.
There’s a cult-like, creepy atmosphere pervading the retreat, and Mercedes tries to leave early but is held back by Julie, who asks for a second chance. Staying back, of course, turns out to be the wrong call, leading to some unsettling experiences. But for a horror film, Mama Retreat relies on old tricks (like worms in food) and is rarely scary. It ends with a little twist that’s also not out of the box, but perhaps, overall, it’s a decent one-time-watch, if you’ve run out of options for a good horror film.
Watch the film on Netflix.
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