Mothers’ Instinct review by Fabio Agius

Mothers’ Instinct is a movie that really appeals to my taste, especially psychological thriller movies. It was recommended to me by a friend who knew my love for the genre. Actually, the movie poster doesn’t do justice to the film. It starts slow at first, but it has great pacing and builds tension as you watch along.

The movie is set in the 60s and revolves around the story of two mothers, Alice played by Jessica Chastain, and Celine played by Anne Hathaway, who are neighbors. They are the perfect embodiment of the typical American classy wives of the 60s, and kudos to the casting director for their choices. They each have two boys who spend a lot of time together. A fatal incident occurs that devastates one of the families, but I won’t spoil it for you. As good neighbours and friends, the other family tries to help them in the best way possible, but there’s a darker meaning to what is going on. The movie keeps planting doubts in your mind as you watch, making you question if you’re just being suspicious or if things are actually happening for a reason.

The acting is quite brilliant; I didn’t expect anything less from Chastain and Hathaway. I had to look up the director, Benoît Delhomme, who is a French director but has worked on various British projects with similar genres, so I plan to delve deeper into his work. As I mentioned before, the casting was brilliant and really reflects the choices of a French director who hired actors that resemble high-class people from the 60s. In other words, the casting doesn’t fit the typical American kaleidoscope we’re used to seeing nowadays. One thing that caught my eye was the attention to detail. Being a movie set in the 60s, the cars, the food, the parties, and the dialogue have been meticulously looked after. It’s a great pity that this movie isn’t more popular right now; perhaps because it’s fresh or maybe because it wasn’t released in theatres.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, I highly recommend this movie, and it is available on your GO TV app.