Halle Berry Shines in “Mother Land” – What Are Fans Saying About This Fantasy Thriller?

The horror movie Mother Land, featuring Halle Berry, premiered this Wednesday in theaters. Rated PG-13, this latest venture by French filmmaker Alexandre Aja follows June, a mother who, since the end of the world, has been protecting her sons Samuel and Nolan by confining them to an isolated house.

They hunt and gather supplies from the nearby forest, always connected to their home by a rope that their mother insists they must “never let go of.” According to June, the old cabin is the only place where the family is safe from the “Evil” that pervades the Earth.

However, one day the rope breaks, and they have no choice but to engage in a terrifying battle for their survival…

What do the first viewers think of Aja’s tenth horror film?

With 39 ratings and 9 reviews at the time of writing, Mother Land has an average audience score of 2.7 out of 5 stars. 60% of viewers who left a review feel the film is visually stunning but lacks real scares.

Some also find the plot disappointing, although it hides an intriguing subtext. Finally, the performances of the actors, led by Halle Berry and supported by young talents like Percy Daggs IV and Anthony B. Jenkins, are well-received.

Leo Dutel calls Mother Land a “masterpiece. I loved the whole thing, the suspense, the script (which wasn’t just another rehashed horror movie), and the setting which was absolutely gorgeous!!! A wonderful experience.”

It’s a Smash Hit!

RedArrow from the Club AlloCiné rates the film 3.5 stars and writes: “Once the final part of the film begins, the clever twists we thought we had figured out suddenly reveal that Aja is far cleverer than us, unveiling a kind of plot conditioning in which he’s been amusingly trapping us, now aligning us with his characters who are caught in an endless whirlwind of doubt about what’s happening.

And it’s a smash hit! As soon as Mother Land introduces this ‘What if…?’ to the viewers, Aja shifts gears and doesn’t slow down, expanding the darkness of his universe into some brutally high flights, where a more intense horror becomes the vehicle for an emotional range we didn’t see coming in the final twists of this tumultuous family saga (all beautifully supported by a new successful musical score by Rob).”

In the end, we come away quite impressed from our forest walk in these maternal lands signed by Alexandre Aja, who is in better form than in his recent works. After a few more forgettable films, Mother Land reminds us that he’s still capable of surprises, and he even manages to do so on a terrain where, indeed, nothing suggested he could. Well done, we won’t be cutting the cord with him.”

For Le NanarPhile it’s “a decent story overall, with some interesting ideas, deep enough writing without overdoing it, just marred by a few dragging moments. The characters are fairly interesting and the plot’s open interpretation lets us ponder the deeper meaning of the rope allegory.

It’s well done, with clean and pretty visual ideas and some effectively creepy scenes, though they are few and sometimes quite timid. It may not be Alexandre Aja’s best film but it’s far from his worst.”

“A Beautiful Tale Poorly Exploited”

On the other hand, JulietteM does not find the ending clear enough and notes: “A film that lacks a real stance. You wait throughout to find out what it’s really about, but Aja doesn’t make a decision and leaves the viewer hungry for more.

Nevertheless, the film offers an interesting reflection on motherhood and what we leave behind for our children. Halle Berry is at times frightening, at times absurd.”

For the online reviewer Coric Bernard, “this horror film uses all the usual ingredients of the genre (creaky doors, an abandoned house in the middle of the forest, eerie music, etc.). Despite a thin plot and good execution with a nice build-up of tension and dread, the scares and horror prevail. This will certainly please fans.”

Sunshine1 gives it a rating of 2 and writes: “A beautiful tale very poorly exploited like The Watchers which gave me no chills. Decent filmmaking, a stunning cinematography, Halle Berry and the children are excellent actors but the film is utterly boring… Not much happens except for a few jump scares to wake us up with a rushed ending. The least impressive of Aja’s filmography.”

For Hichem Ben Omrane, “from the first seconds, it’s clear the script is a disaster, accumulating clichés and inconsistencies at a distressing rate. The story, if it can be called that, leads nowhere and leaves the viewer completely lost and disinterested.”