I Am Mother (2019) – Summary, Review (with Spoilers)
With I Am Mother, Netflix continues to produce quality sci-fi films with a small cast, a female lead, and loads of intrigue.
[Unless Said Otherwise] Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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With I Am Mother, Netflix continues to produce quality sci-fi films with a small cast, a female lead, and loads of intrigue.
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| Director(s) | Grant Sputore | |
| Screenplay By | Michael Lloyd Green | |
| Date Released | 6/7/2019 | |
| Genre(s) | Sci-Fi | |
| Good If You Like | Small Cast Films
Movies With Women In Majority Twists & Ambiguous Characters |
|
| Isn’t For You If You | Like Full On Backstories Which Explain How Things Came To Be | |
| Noted Cast | ||
| Mother | Rose Byrne | |
| Daughter | Clara Rugaard | |
| Woman | Hilary Swank | |
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I Am Mother Plot Summary
After what is noted as “The Extinction Event,” we are led to believe there remains only 63,000 remnants of humanity which are currently in the embryonic stage. Of these, Mother (Rose Byrne) chooses a girl to raise and over the course of 37 years, she finds herself with a Daughter (Clara Rugaard) who is never given a proper name. However, this child is what Mother considers nearly perfect. That is, until a Woman (Hilary Swank) from the outside arrives and begins to influence Daughter. Leaving Mother to decide whether or not she should help Woman and how to handle Daughter beginning to question what she knows to be true.
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Netflix’s I Am Mother (2019): Cast, Characters & Descriptions (with Spoilers)
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- The embryos collected, how long did it take them to be gathered and from who were they retrieved from?
- Also, genetically, were they all fathered by Mother’s creator?
- What happened to Mother’s creator?
- Also, genetically, were they all fathered by Mother’s creator?
Highlights
Quality Twists
While there aren’t any major, jaw-dropping shocks in the movie, it does keep you on your feet a bit. Not with fancy camera cuts, or even violence, but pushing you to really question what is the truth and what would be best for Daughter? Someone who you become invested in, with time, and don’t want to see succumb to the fate it appears most of humanity has suffered.
Though, with that said, you have to appreciate the varying paths presented to her as Woman and Mother offer different versions of the truth. Especially since their truths rarely intersect and often are presented with bias. Making the unfolding of what becomes a universal truth all the more intriguing.
On The Fence
You’re (Vaguely) Told What Happened, But Not By Much
You will see the outside world and eventually learn a very simple answer to what happened. Now, the simple answer you could yourself expand to explain why a good part of the world looks desolate and is in the state it is in. Yet, considering what Woman says, in the time she does speak to Daughter, you may wish more was revealed.
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This is especially true when it comes to Mother for considering their capabilities, it makes you wonder how much did they build themselves and how much was made by their creator? Much less, who is their creator, besides the generic answer of humanity? Questions like this don’t ruin the experience of watching I Am Mother, but are one of many you wished were answered.
I Am Mother Overall: Positive (Worth Seeing)
Like TAU and IO, I Am Mother is focused on a small cast, a less is more approach in storytelling, and gives you just enough to care about its lead, but not enough to feel like you really know them. Then, in terms of science, while you may not connect with Mother as you do the AI in TAU, Byrne’s voice does the job in creating some form of humanity and making the figure more than gears, wire, and some form of metal.
Leading to why this is being labeled positive: Simply put, it’s good enough. Yes, I Am Mother skimping out on details, and not replacing them with that much in the way of emotion, does bring things down. Also, while Rugaard is a talented actress, she isn’t necessarily someone who clicks with you immediately. However, time relatively flies by, the twists keep you engaged, and even though none of them are jaw-dropping, as they help you understand what the truth is, you’ll be left satisfied.
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