Acclaimed indie director Miles Joris-Peyrafitte brings his trademark brooding aesthetic to the neo-noir crime genre in The Good Mother. Centered on an investigative journalist (played by Hillary Swank) seeking justice for her estranged son’s mysterious death, Joris-Peyrafitte’s latest tackles worthy themes of addiction, corruption and redemption through motherhood bonds old and new.
Regrettably, neither the script nor characters fully deliver on these lofty goals despite standout performances. Uneven pacing and distracting melodrama undermine the film’s promising first act, leaving us with a thriller that confuses bleakness for profundity. While hardcore fans of the cast or director’s earlier work may warrant a viewing, The Good Mother lacks the intrigue and insight to leave a lasting impression.
Directorial Choices – Style Over Substance?
Joris-Peyrafitte broke onto the indie scene with 2014’s dreamy romantic drama You Are – garnering critical praise for its naturalism and leveraging of metaphor for emotional impact. His follow-up Dreamland (2018) saw rising star Margot Robbie portray a troubled teenager in rustic Australia, cementing the director’s reputation for carefully constructed character studies.
Given this pedigree, expectations ran high for The Good Mother to deliver another emotionally potent, female-led vehicle – albeit transposed to the mystery thriller genre. Joris-Peyrafitte’s fingerprints remain clearly visible throughout the film – from the muted color grading to his methodical pacing interspersed with shocking moments of violence.
Cinematographer Claude LeLouch bathes many scenes in shadow or cool light, evoking a sense of foreboding and themes of moral uncertainty. Moody establishing shots linger on the remote, woodland setting’s foggy isolation. The blues and grays eventually give way to warmer hues in Jennifer’s cafe, depicting it as a rare oasis of comfort for our heroines. Throughout, close-ups remind us of the toll this quixotic investigation takes on their psyches.
However, admiring individual shots loses relevance as the plot itself drifts aimlessly. The genetic material clearly exists here for a taut, female-driven mystery. But Joris-Peyrafitte seemingly loses interest in advancing reveals logically once the core relationships are established.
Instead, he meanders through lengthy montages of Swank’s character brooding while her son’s pregnant ex-girlfriend pursues threads without backup despite confrontations with violence misogynists. Ultimately, the solid visualcraft and acting talent prove wasted in service of a thinly sketched narrative.
Hillary Swank‘s Grief-Stricken Mother – A Standout Turn Without Support
In one of her most affecting roles in years, Hillary Swank delivers a masterclass as the remorseful mother Emma desperately seeking closure and redemption. Grappling with guilt over the teen pregnancy that separated her from firstborn Jake, Emma compartmentalized the pain by throwing herself into her journalism career in the city.
After Jake’s sudden death draws her back to the town that ostracized her years prior, Swank conveys incredible vulnerability under a harsh exterior. Her early scenes verbally lashing the well-meaning coroner Graham (Reggie Hayes) immediately draw us into her anger born of anguish. Finding unexpected common cause with Jake’s former girlfriend Amy (Julia Garner), Swank pivots to portray Emma’s wary nurturing of a young woman now carrying her dead son’s child.
Swank’s consistently believable work centers every scene. However, Garner struggles to keep up despite showing potential in tense early encounters. Their chemistry frays as Amypursues the conspiracy solo without updating Emma, diluting the sisterly bond seemingly being forged. Graham’s quirky sincerity also helps ground Emma’s volatility, buthis eccentricities become distractions. The script does Swank no favors by silencing Emma during critical revelations to keep twists surprising – at the cost of stunting her relationships.
While these shortcomings stem more from structural issues, seeing Swank‘s towering presence diminished by hollow plotting proves massively frustrating given her talents. The film only clicks when she holds court on screen – musical interludes and disjointed jumps to dark subplots land with a thud whenever she enters the periphery.
Squandering a Compelling Premise
On paper, The Good Mother has the makings of a riveting modern noir. The inciting incident – driven daughter Emma returning home to investigate beloved son Jake‘s death from an apparent overdose – immediately raises questions. Emma‘s estrangement from law enforcement brother Matt and his wife Liz who adopted the baby of a woman Matt killed while on duty further mires us in moral ambiguity.
The revelations come fast early on thanks to Emma‘s friendship with eccentric county coroner Graham – from falsified autopsy reports to veil thin coverups of deeply embedded sins. Amy makes for a perfect foil and kindred spirit, carrying the last remnant of Jake inside her while seeking the truth behind his demise. Even as red herrings get introduced, Emma‘s journalistic instincts and tenacity shine hope towards bringing resolution.
It thus remains mind-boggling that the film squanders so much promise in its lackadaisical second act. Joris-Peyrafitte‘s understated style arguably works against viewer interest, with long takes saying little while Amy pursues loosening threads largely off-screen. Matt and Jake‘s interwoven tensions become mere footnotes. While the themes of lies around motherhood and corruption through exploitation of the vulnerable still resonate, they do so faintly.
Where are the essential scenes of Emma leveraging old sources to catch lies? What truly drives the venom between Jake and Matt – jealousy, morality? The cop brother‘s accidental shooting is brushed under the rug after raising implications about enforcing institutional injustice. Instead, we get thirty minutes of Amy in danger from idle threats without context, culminating in a laughably awkward funeral slap. It stretches credulity and emotional investment past its breaking point.
For a film about relentless women seeking truth, it offers little.
Closing Thoughts – Admirable Ingredients Poorly Mixed
Miles Joris-Peyrafitte clearly sought to deliver a stylish and thematically rich spin on maternal bonds tested by tragedy in The Good Mother. Anchored by Hillary Swank‘s empathetic turn as a remorseful mother, it shows glimmers of meeting his prior work‘s dramatic potency. However, uneven pacing and distracting side plots smother the tension required for its noir aspirations to sing.
The DNA exists here for a grounded thriller about systemic corruption, the sins of the past, and Good Samaritans reachingtheir breaking point. But Joris-Peyrafitte curiously mutes his story every time it threatens to break out, depriving his leads of agency too often and diluting empathy. No amount of misty establishing shots can compensate for muted beats where confrontations and twists should land.
Diehard fans of brooding indie directors or Hillary Swank tour de forces may warrant a viewing on VOD for those bright spots alone. Yet The Good Mother remains a missed opportunity – unable to deliver on the sum of its promising parts. Irreconcilable tone issues dampen this affair, with uneven execution smothering fantastic potential.