Mothers’ Instinct is a movie that aims high with its premise and powerhouse lead performances but ultimately collapses under the weight of its messy script and tonal inconsistency. Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway do their best to inject life into their roles, delivering performances that are often the only salvageable element in a film that can’t decide what it wants to be. Despite their efforts, the film’s narrative twists and genre shifts leave it feeling disjointed, hollow, and increasingly absurd as it progresses.
The story begins on solid ground, with a tragedy that sets the stage for a gripping drama. Celine (Hathaway) and her husband Damian (Josh Charles) lose their son in a freak accident. The early scenes effectively capture the raw devastation of loss and its ripple effects, especially on the close friendship between Celine and her neighbor Alice (Chastain). As Celine and Damian retreat into themselves, Alice and her husband Simon (Anders Danielsen Lie) are left grappling with how to explain the loss to their own son, Theo, who was best friends with the deceased child.
At its best, Mothers’ Instinct functions as a drama about grief and strained relationships, with the dynamic between Celine and Alice offering moments of genuine emotional complexity. Hathaway and Chastain shine here, their chemistry underscoring the fragility of their once-close bond. However, the film doesn’t stay in this lane for long.
As the narrative progresses, Mothers’ Instinct shifts into thriller territory—a decision that undermines its emotional core. Celine’s growing attachment to Theo and Alice’s subsequent concern are intriguing developments, but instead of exploring these ideas with subtlety or depth, the movie veers into contrived twists and over-the-top reveals. The genre blending feels clumsy, with the thriller elements clashing against the film’s more grounded dramatic moments. The twists, in particular, lack credibility and seem more like desperate attempts to keep the audience guessing than organic developments in the story.
Director Benoit Delhomme handles the film’s aesthetic with care, leaning into a polished 1960s suburban setting that adds some visual appeal. However, the setting is over-explained, with clunky dialogue referencing the political climate of the time in a way that feels forced and unnecessary. The movie’s style is sturdy and unobtrusive, allowing the performances to take center stage, but even that can’t salvage a script that struggles to balance its competing tones.
The final act is where Mothers’ Instinct truly unravels. The climactic twist is laughably absurd, derailing any goodwill the film may have earned up to that point. It’s the kind of reveal that makes you question the preceding events, not because of clever misdirection but because it feels utterly unearned. In this way, it’s reminiscent of Sharper (2023), another movie that prioritized being unpredictable over being coherent. Like Sharper, Mothers’ Instinct has glimmers of a compelling story buried beneath its convoluted plotting, but those moments are drowned out by its misguided attempts to outsmart the audience.
Despite its flaws, there are aspects of Mothers’ Instinct that suggest it could have been a better movie. The performances, particularly those of Hathaway and Chastain, are strong enough to make the film intermittently engaging. The suburban pastiche, while overemphasized, is well-executed, and Delhomme’s direction is competent if unremarkable. But the script’s inability to reconcile its dramatic and thriller elements leaves the film feeling shallow and frustrating.
Mothers’ Instinct is a case of wasted potential—a film with a strong premise and top-tier talent that falters due to poor execution. While it may hold some appeal for those drawn to its cast or period setting, its lack of narrative cohesion and increasingly ridiculous twists make it hard to recommend. For a story that could have delved deep into themes of grief, obsession, and fractured friendships, it’s disappointing that Mothers’ Instinct settles for being so middling.
Score: 4/10
Mothers’ Instinct (2024)
- Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Anders Danielsen Lie, Josh Charles
- Director: Benoît Delhomme
- Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Runtime: 94 minutes
- Rated: R
- Release Date: August 13, 2024
More Movies Starring Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway has starred in the following movies:
- Brokeback Mountain (2005)
- The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
- The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
- Interstellar (2014)
- Armageddon Time (2022)
- Eileen (2023)
- Mothers’ Instinct (2024)
More Movies Starring Jessica Chastain
Jessica Chastain has starred in the following movies:
- The Tree of Life (2011)
- Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
- Interstellar (2014)
- The Martian (2015)
- Molly’s Game (2017)
- The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)
- Memory (2023)
- Mothers’ Instinct (2024)
