Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain
It’s 1960 in America and an impossibly young John F. Kennedy is campaigning for president. Alice (Jessica Chastain) and Celine (Anne Hathaway) are neighbors and best friends. Their husbands, Simon (Anders Danielson Lie) and Damian (Josh Charles), are doing well at work and their young sons, Theo (Eamon O’Connell) and Max (Baylen D. Billitz), are also friends, visiting each other’s homes.
The film opens with Alice throwing a surprise party for Celine. There is discussion about Kennedy being too young to run for president and, during cocktail hour, awkwardness ensues when Simon jokes about Kennedy getting pregnant during the campaign, as Celine and Damian have had difficulty conceiving.
We learn that Alice was a star reporter at the local newspaper and although Simon doesn’t want it, Alice is anxious to get back to work. As in all Stepford scenarios, all is not well in this suburban Eden. Alice is shown to be concerned about Theo, over whom she constantly hovers. Celine is the more fun mother who gets into the spirit of the boys’ play. Theo’s grandmother Jeanne (Caroline Lagerfelt) is a great favourite with the boys with her magic tricks.
Mother’s Instinct (Hindi)
Director: Benoît Delhomme
Mould: Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Josh Charles, Anders Danielson Lie
Run-time: 94 minutes
Story: Neighbors who are best friends turn against each other after a tragedy
A tragedy tears friends apart as jealousy, grief and paranoia color all relationships. Unreliable narrators abound and biased viewpoints where anyone could be a victim or a perpetrator. Each tearful reconciliation could be taken at face value or be the first step to further intrigues.
Based on the 2012 novel by Barbara Abel and the multi-award-winning Belgian-French film by Olivier Masset-Depas Conflict (2018), mothers instinct Looking gorgeous. Masset-Depasse was supposed to direct the English version, but he left the production to make way for the directorial debut of cinematographer Benoit Delhomme, which explains the beautiful, golden-lit frames. Chastain and Hathaway look fabulous in their 60s-style pencil skirts, pastel-coloured blouses, bows and cigarette trousers, accessorised perfectly with high heels, purses and gloves.
As Alice and Celine, Chastain and Hathaway portray a range of emotions from love, grief and guilt to anger, doubt and fear. There’s a reference to the habit of sending so-called ‘problem women’ to the metaphorical attic. The actors’ fine work is not supported by a script that flits around like a frightened rat in a large sandpit.
The sudden change in tone keeps the audience confused until the third act, which quickly turns into some kind of 80s Hindi film drama – it seems the women would call each other Witch Or Dayan Gouging each other’s eyes out and pulling at unkempt hair. On second thought, it must have been quite enjoyable. You can spend time with each other mothers instinct Wonder about the placement of the apostrophe and marvel at the fabulous clothes that adorn these beautiful actors, who are at the top of their game.
Mother’s Instinct is playing in cinemas now
