“I Am Mother” is a movie that was almost great.
The film itself has a simple enough premise. In a post-apocalyptic world, a sentient android living in a bunker referred to as “Mother” (voiced by Rose Byrne) grows an embryo in an artificial womb. Soon enough, “Daughter” (Clara Rugaard) is born. We see a montage of Mother raising Daughter to her teenage years. Daughter is raised to believe no human can survive the conditions outside. Enter Hilary Swank’s “Woman,” who comes knocking at the door of the bunker, begging for medical assistance. Woman makes Daughter realize that the outside world might not be exactly how Mother described it.
In this act of the film, the movie because a fascinating character-driven piece, with Rugaard leading the pack. Mother and Woman are playing tug-of-war with Daughter’s loyalties. Each woman holds her own with her performance. Purely through voice work, Byrne delivers a performance on par with the actresses appearing on screen. She nimbly straddles the line between eerie and maternal. Swank intentionally plays her part with an aura of mystery about her.
Rugaard is a newcomer to the world of acting, but plays this role with an air of sophistication. Acting against Byrne and Swank is a tall order for a greener actress, but she holds her own. Mother and Woman vie for Daughter’s trust and the role of mother figure. Rugaard gracefully brings the emotion of this struggle to the screen.
“I Am Mother” has a small but mighty cast. The other aspects of the film don’t quite match up in the same regard. Its at its best when it is a contained piece. The tension amongst our three leads, while they are confined to the borders of the bunker, is palpable. The audience watches the film through Daughter’s eyes – wrestling with each idea and set of morals that the opposing sides offer to Daughter. The film loses the audience when Daughter and Woman venture outside the confines of the bunker. That mystery surrounding the fate of society immediately vanishes. The movie becomes drastically less interesting from here on in.
Hollywood has loved a good post-apocalyptic story for years. The best kind focuses on the humanity of our survivors, not so much the chaos around them. “I Am Mother” had the building blocks to become a solid art house sci-fi film. But it loses its touch when it tries to swing for something bigger.
