I Am Mother (2019)

I Am Mother (2019)

6/10

Starring

Clara Rugaard

Rose Byrne (voice of mother)

Hilary Swank

Directed by Grant Sputore

I Am Mother is an interesting sci-fi thriller that twists and turns, leaving you wondering what the bigger picture is by the end. The movie is a catalog of controversies, and deciding which side to take as the story unfolds isn’t easy. Even when it ends, it plants the thought that there’s still more to the tale than what’s been shown.

Seeing Hilary Swank was a breath of fresh air. Her face is one that sticks in my mind when you think of magnificent performers. The movie only features three humans, so keep that in mind if you decide to watch it.

We spend the first half of the movie watching Mother (a maternal robot) raise a girl, teaching and nurturing her as she grows into an intelligent young woman (Clara Rugaard). About halfway through, we meet another human, a woman (Hilary Swank). The last human we see in the film is a baby.

Here’s the plot: In the distant future, humans have made a mess of Earth and become their own worst enemy. A contingency plan was put in place for such an event—an AI was created to repopulate the planet once humans wiped themselves out. This AI is accompanied by thousands of fertilized embryos, waiting to be brought to life.

The movie begins at the point where the AI counts down to human extinction and starts the repopulation process by bringing a girl to life. Throughout the movie, we refer to her as Daughter.

Daughter grows up to be a bright young woman, knowing only the robot as her mother. Mother tells her there’s no life outside their bunker and that the atmosphere is too polluted to survive. Daughter believes this but can’t help wondering. One night, while struggling to sleep and considering breaking the rules, something unexpected happens: a woman knocks on their bunker door.

For the first time, Daughter faces a challenge beyond Mother’s teachings. What should she do when another human needs help? This is also the first human Daughter has ever seen and the only person she’s spoken to besides Mother. Her instincts kick in, and she helps the woman—an act she knows Mother would never allow if she had been the one to find her first.

The movie is captivating and grows on you, making time fly as you watch. It’s not perfect—there are moments where the writers seem so caught up in their mystery that they forget to keep the story on a clear, engaging path. That said, the acting is top-notch, and the director clearly had a firm grip on where he wanted the film to go. It’s a fine film to catch on Netflix any day.