I recently saw the film “Mother,” in a small theater of the Fox complex downtown–the film had received excellent reviews, and actually a rare A from our local film critic, so I wanted to see it.  It is an amazing and disconcerting film.

On the most superficial level, it is a story of murder and intrigue–a “whodunit.”  But that’s only what drives the plot–not what makes the film memorable–or any film memorable, for me: for a film to be great, it has to have believable characters, and it has to go deep.  “Mother” does both.

I do not want to give away the serpentine plot/ending, but you will be surprised, I expect.  In fact, you will be surprised over and over again.  That’s why I use the word “disconcerting” to describe the film.  You see, you really can’t pin labels on people in this film–there are no “good guys” and “bad guys.”  There are people who are driven by feelings to do sometimes wonderful, things and sometimes terrible, disturbing things.  Mistakes are made.  Secrets are kept.  People who should be punished sometimes are not.  Villains are heroes, and vice-versa.  Just like . . . well, life. 

The viewers’ responses at the end of the film were interesting to me.  Portland audiences that see serious foreign films like this one are an appreciative bunch–they sit there through the credits, in awe at the filmmaker’s craft.  Not this time, though.  People couldn’t wait to get out of the theater.  They virtually raced out, as soon as it was (thankfully) over.  Why this strange response, I wondered.

I think we like our stories–our books and our films and our TV shows–to picture life as it should be, righting the wrongs, or at least showing up the bad guys for who they are, so we can all boo and hiss. Give us heroes, please!   Nobody likes to be confronted with the fact that we’re all capable of great good and great evil.  Nobody like to live in the margins.  You see, it gives us so little sense of control over ourselves and others.  About as much as we really have.