Presentation and Interpretation of Power Dynamics within Character Transformations: Darren Aronofsky’s ''mother!''

Abstract

The movie mother! is a psychological horror movie, written and directed in 2017 by Darren Aronofsky. The plot of the movie revolves around a couple living in an isolated house, as their serene lives become thrown into disarray by a series of bizarre events started by the arrival of a mysterious couple and many other strange guests. This movie is known for its representation of biblical symbolism, with underlying warnings of the inevitable self-destruction of human race through their historically repetitive torment of Mother Earth.The main topic of this article is going to be an analysis of the symbolic milieu of the movie, with special attention to the depiction of power dynamics of the represented (divine) feminine and masculine, as well as power relations of the characters, in general. In that process, we hope to understand the stages of their transformation, with regards to the question of the nature of their transformation - was it social or structural? Interpretation of the transformation and its nature, we also contemplate the nature of recognized process of othering in the movie, that relies on the root of the recognized power relations? All of these questions are explored through interpretation of symbolic communication, in which the architectural setting acts as a character "anchor" and a sustenance for its development, as well as the indicator and medium of its transformation.