Home invasion narratives
have been increasingly popular in the horror genre over the past two decades,
especially with lower budget releases like Motherly. This is likely
because of the affordability of a film with essentially a single location, and aside
from a few flashback sequences, Motherly takes place entirely in an
isolated farmhouse. While cost-effective, setting a film in one location places
a lot of pressure on the screenplay and performances. Although far from the
worst home invasion film (there are a lot of bad ones), Motherly has a
script with a predictable twist and too much faith in the child acting central to
the narrative.
We join Kate
(Lora Burke) and her daughter Beth (Tessa Kozma) in their remote farmhouse home
on Beth’s birthday. The young girl is frustrated with their isolation, which is
revealed to be a result of them being in witness protection. Kate’s husband has
been convicted of murdering Beth’s neighborhood friend in their former home,
and Kate is writing a book about the events. Setting aside the improbability of
a book being written by someone in witness protection, and the unexplained need
for them to be hiding, Motherly is a frustrating viewing experience from
the beginning. Human behavior is off, and the acting is not good enough for these
hints to be subtle. The audience knows early on that there is something off
about the story, but the audience must wait nearly the entire film for that obvious
twist to be revealed.
The tension
between mother and daughter increases, as Beth is frustrated that her father is
not with them, and their only visitor is a law enforcement agent named Hal (Colin
Paradine). This changes suddenly when two home invaders show up, revealing the
need for witness protection. Initially disguised by large parkas, the invaders
are eventually revealed to be couple Mary (Kristen MacCulloch) and Lewis (Nick
Smyth), who have some questions for Kate about the murder her husband was
convicted for.
Despite a
sequence of mild torture that could momentarily capture the interest of torture
porn fans, Motherly is more about suspense than violence. There are essentially
only five characters, so the film can’t afford to dispatch any of them too
quickly. At the same time, I wouldn’t call Motherly boring. The basic
premise has promise, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.
Motherly is available on Demand and Digital.
Instagram: @MotherlyMovie
Twitter: @MotherlyMovie
Entertainment Value:
5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 4/10
Historical Significance: 3/10
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