Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“It is only the ability to embrace the different reality, that makes science expand beyond the limits of what we know. However, extraordinary claims require extraordinary proofs.”
An artist couple decides to adopt their orphaned nieces, only to realize that a malevolent spirit they call “Mama” is attached to them. Directed by Andy Muschietti, who co-wrote the film with Barbara Muschietti and Neil Cross, “Mama” opens with a tense scene of a father frenziedly grabbing his two little daughters to flee the scene after a gruesome crime, but further tragedy awaits them. The girls grow up isolated in the woods for a few years, until a search party hired by their uncle Nicolas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) finally finds them. Nicolas and his partner Annabel (Jessica Chastain) adopt the girls, while a psychiatrist called Dr. Dreyfuss (Daniel Kash) works on evaluating their condition.
“Mama” is an atmospheric film supported by solid performances from the cast, particularly child actors Megan Charpentier and Isabelle Nélisse, who portray sisters Victoria and Lilly. The girls are discovered in deplorable condition, and the actors adeptly portray two lost children forced to rely on each other for survival in the woods. Since Lilly was only a toddler at the time of their accident, her behavior is almost feral, and Isabelle Nélisse excels in capturing the body language of a child who grew up more like an animal than a human. The character has close to no dialogues, but Nélisse’s performance as Lilly delivers some of the most chilling and poignant scenes in the film.
The supernatural elements of “Mama” are eerily executed, with the spirit remaining largely in the shadows, however, some of the horror factor is diluted early on, when the creators decide to expose its visage. Director Andy Muschietti and team should’ve pushed the facial reveal for a few more minute, to keep up the suspense surrounding its titular spirit. I like how the spirit also gets adequate back-story for viewers to understand its motivations and actions.
While Nikolaj Coster-Waldau gets to be the ‘cool’ and ‘caring’ uncle Nicolas, Jessica Chastain’s character Annable has a better arc in the story, who starts off as someone who doesn’t think she is equipped to raise two girls, but eventually rises to the occasion when the sisters need her. For a film named “Mama”, this horror film manages to justify its simplistic title by showing what it means to be a parent to different people (or entities in this case).
Visually, “Mama” is a well-crafted gothic horror tale that avoids relying too heavily on jump scares, instead using its characters’ emotions and reactions to establish an eerie atmosphere. In-fact, for a film that establishes its supernatural themes pretty early on, “Mama” uses very little special effects, which minimizes chances of awkward CGI ruining a good scene. The background music effectively enhances the mood, and the inclusion of humming adds to the overall creepiness.
However, it’s only towards the last fifteen minutes or so that “Mama” becomes chaotic, sentimental, and slightly disappointing. It almost makes you forget its notable features. Yet, watching the film for the second time with my family after years allowed me to appreciate its storytelling more. The ending is partly tragic, and the plot builds up to a bittersweet climax, echoing the saying “you win some, you lose some.”
Rating: 7 on 10. You can stream “Mama” on JioCinema or rent it on Prime Video.
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