Mothers’ Instinct

A remake of the 2018 Belgian film Duelle (which is also adapted from the novel by Barbara Abel) cinematographer-turned-director Benoît Delhomme’s feature debut Mothers’ Instinct is a Hitchcockian-flavoured psychological thriller set within 1960s suburbia. The plot centres around best friends and neighbours Celine (Anne Hathaway) and Alice (Jessica Chastain), who regularly spend evenings at each other’s lavish homes drinking cocktails and eating canapes. However, the pair’s friendship descends into chaos after Celine’s young son is killed when he falls off the balcony.

Mistrust begins to set in when Alice suspects that her neighbour is plotting something nefarious, with events only getting crazier as the story progresses. Delhomme holds nothing back when it comes to this feature’s tone. From scenery-chewing performances from the entire cast, meticulously manicured sets and costumes and a wonderfully pulpy score from Anne Nikitin that takes inspiration from Bernard Herrmann, every aspect of the melodrama is cranked up so high that this film frequently verges on the point of parody.

Although the sheer ridiculousness of some of the plot points can make it difficult to take this drama about the psychological warfare between two mothers completely seriously, there’s nevertheless enjoyment to be found in just how dedicated Delhomme is to the tone. Mothers’ Instinct asks audiences to go along for the ride, with those who can get behind its kitsch sensibilities being bound to derive pleasure from the ensuing events right up to the wild finale.

What really makes this feature work is the wonderful performances from Chastain and Hathaway. The pair fully embrace the over-the-top nature of the screenplay and run with it. Hathaway is especially delightful here as viewers watch the downward spiral of her character, never quite sure if Alice’s suspicions are just that or if there really is something more sinister going on.

While the excessive melodrama won’t be to everyone’s taste, brilliantly committed performances from Hathaway and Chastain ensure that there’s entertainment to be found in this psychological thriller.

Andrew Murray

Mothers’ Instinct is released digitally on demand on 13^th May 2024.

Watch the trailer for Mothers’ Instinct here: