MOTHER OF TEARS [2007]

During a construction dig in church grounds of the Italian countryside, a tomb with an attached urn from the early 1800s is discovered. The head priest steps in for closer inspection and reveals the findings belong to Mater Lachrymarum, a black witch. Since Mater Lachrymarum made up one-third of a powerful ancient evil group known as The Three Mothers, the priest is deeply disturbed by the event. He decides to send the urn to a museum directed by a trusted friend, Michael, who is also a scientist and an expert on magic. Before obtaining permission, Michael’s assistant cracks the urn open alongside Michael’s student/girlfriend, Sarah. Inside, the two women uncover three beautifully preserved mini statues, a medieval dagger, and a cloak with ancient writing painted on it. When Sarah leaves to retrieve a dictionary for deciphering, three demons appear to rip the assistant to shreds. When Sarah returns and sees the mess, she is forced out of the museum by a ravenous monkey and voices in her head. Soon the world rapidly transitions into a state of disorder with suicides, homicides, and demonic possessions. Research produces both questions and answers that lead Sarah on a supernatural path to cease the apocalyptic danger released from the urn.

MOTHER OF TEARS is a blood feast served hot by demonic forces, black magic, and illusion. I’ll be honest, having heard such severely divided reviews, I was both apprehensive and extremely curious about the movie. Once the film concluded, I realized I wasn’t prepared to take a stance; I felt as if I had woken up from a perplexing bad dream, and I needed time to register the overwhelming content. First of all, there are plenty of “jump-scares” to hasten your heartbeat and keep you on edge from the very beginning. The eruption of gore and savagery starts less than ten minutes in with an insanely brutal monster attack that’ll make your eyeballs pop out of your skull. Without a doubt, Argento has successfully delivered monumentally grotesque features throughout his career, and he ups the ante with this one. Violence is brought to life with the use of practical special effects and CGI. However, the CGI scenes are a little too unrealistic and off-putting. The story itself is unique, amplified with provocative religious illustrations and other wondrous imagery, but the plethora of otherworldly visuals can be a bit distracting. All in all, MOTHER OF TEARS is an artistic work that can be appreciated with a second viewing…if you have the patience and stomach for a double dose.

Rating: 6/10

Director: Dario Argento [SUSPIRIA, INFERNO, TENEBRAE]

Cast: Asia Argento, Adam James, Cristian Solimeno
Country: Italy|USA