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''Mama'' is a 2013
supernatural horror film Supernatural horror film is a film genre that combines aspects of horror film and supernatural film. Supernatural occurrences in such films often include ghosts and demons, and many supernatural horror films have elements of religion. Common them ...
directed and co-written by Andy Muschietti in his directorial debut and based on his 2008
Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
short film ''Mamá''. The film stars
Jessica Chastain Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in films with feminist themes, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. ''Time'' ...
,
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Nikolaj William Coster-Waldau (; born 27 July 1970) is a Danish actor and producer. He graduated from the Danish National School of Performing Arts in Copenhagen in 1993, and had his breakthrough role in Denmark with the film '' Nightwatch'' (19 ...
,
Megan Charpentier Megan Charpentier (born May 26, 2001) is a Canadian actress, best known for her roles as the feral child Victoria in the horror film ''Mama'' (2013), as the Red Queen in '' Resident Evil: Retribution'' (2012), and for her role as Gretta Keene ...
,
Isabelle Nélisse Isabelle Nélisse (born December 3, 2003) is a Canadian actress. The younger sister of actress Sophie Nélisse, she is most noted for her roles in the films ''Mama'', '' Wait Till Helen Comes'' and ''The Tale''.Emily Buder"The Tale Is a Powerful, ...
,
Daniel Kash Daniel Joshua Kash (born April 25, 1959) is a Canadian actor and film director. Life and career Kash was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Canadian opera singer Maureen Forrester and Toronto-born violinist and conductor Eugene Kash (May 1, 1 ...
, and
Javier Botet Javier Botet López (born 30 July 1977) is a Spanish actor. Often cast in creature actor, creature roles, he has portrayed Tristana Medeiros in the REC (franchise), ''REC'' franchise (2007–2012), the title character in ''Mama (2013 film), Mam ...
as the title character. The film follows two young girls abandoned in a forest cabin, fostered by an unknown entity that they fondly call "Mama", which eventually follows them to their new suburban home led by two adults after their uncle retrieves them. It was produced by J. Miles Dale and co-writer
Barbara Muschietti Bárbara Muschietti (born December 22, 1971) is an Argentine film producer and screenwriter, best known for producing the 2013 horror film ''Mama'' and the 2017 and 2019 adaptations of Stephen King's '' It'', all of which were directed by her bro ...
, with
Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born October 9, 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and actor. He directed the Academy Award–winning fantasy films ''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006) and ''The Shape of Water'' (2017), winning the Academy Awards for Be ...
serving as executive producer. The film was theatrically released in theaters on 18 January 2013, by
Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
. ''Mama'' received mixed reviews from critics, with many praising the performances and atmosphere, with criticism for plot and writing. The film was a box office success, grossing $146 million against a $15 million budget.


Plot

Distraught after losing his fortune in the 2008 financial crisis, stockbroker Jeffrey Desange murders his colleagues and his estranged wife before taking his young daughters, 3-year-old Victoria and 1-year-old Lily, away from home. Driving dangerously fast on a snowy road, Jeffrey loses control; the car slides down the mountain and crashes into the woods, breaking Victoria's glasses. Surviving the collision, he takes the children into an abandoned cabin. Planning to kill his daughters and then himself, he prepares to shoot Victoria but is attacked and killed by a shadowy figure. Five years later, a rescue party, sponsored by Jeffrey's
identical twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...
brother Lucas, finds a now 8-year-old Victoria and a now 6-year-old Lily in the cabin, alive but in a feral state after five years of isolation. The girls are put in a welfare clinic under the watch of Dr. Gerald Dreyfuss. They refer to "Mama", a mysterious maternal protector figure. The girls are initially hostile to Lucas, but Victoria recognizes him after he gives her a pair of glasses and she can see properly. Dreyfuss agrees to support Lucas and his girlfriend Annabel's custody claim against the girls' maternal great-aunt, Jean Podolski, as long as Dreyfuss is allowed to monitor the girls' progress. Victoria acclimates quickly to domestic life while Lily retains much of her feral behavior. Lucas is attacked by a mysterious entity and put into a coma, leaving Annabel to care for the girls alone. Though reluctant at first, she makes progress with Victoria, but Lily remains hostile. Alarmed by nightmares of a strange woman and Victoria's warning about Mama's jealousy, Annabel asks Dreyfuss to investigate further. Dreyfuss’s research brings to light the story of Edith Brennan, a mentally-ill
asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea ...
patient who died in the 1800s; he recovers a box from a government warehouse containing a baby's remains. Annabel has a dream revealing Edith's past; when Edith was sent to the asylum, her child was taken from her and given to nuns. She escaped the asylum and took her baby back, stabbing one of the nuns caring for the baby in the process. Fleeing her pursuers, Edith jumped off a cliff, but before hitting the water below, she and the child made an impact with a large branch. Edith drowned, but the child's body snagged on the branch and did not fall with her into the water. Annabel realizes that Edith still hasn't realized her child was caught on the tree and doesn't understand why her baby wasn't in the water with her. Mama, Edith's troubled
ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
, searched the woods for her child for years until she discovered Victoria and Lily and took them as substitutes. Lucas regains consciousness after a vision of his dead twin tells him to go to the cabin to save his daughters. Victoria's growing closeness to Annabel makes her less willing to play with Mama, unlike Lily. Dreyfuss visits the cabin and is killed by Mama. Annabel takes Dreyfuss’s case file on Mama, including the body of her baby. Annabel and the girls are attacked by a jealous Mama, who kills Aunt Jean and uses her body to spirit the children away. Annabel and Lucas find the children on the same cliff where Mama leaped with her infant to their deaths over a century earlier, intent on re-enacting the deadly fall with Victoria and Lily. When Annabel offers Mama the remains of her infant, Mama recognizes the child as her lost baby, and her appearance briefly turns human. However, when Annabel and Lucas try to bring the girls to safety, Lily calls out for Mama, causing her to revert to her monstrous form and attempt to take the girls again. Annabel clings to Victoria, who asks to stay with Annabel instead of leaving with Mama, which Mama accepts. After a tearful farewell, Mama and Lily plummet off the cliff. Mama and Lily happily embrace before hitting the branch, turning into a shower of moths. Annabel and Lucas embrace Victoria, who notices a moth landing on her hand, suggesting that Lily is still with her in spirit.


Cast

*
Jessica Chastain Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in films with feminist themes, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. ''Time'' ...
as Annabel "Annie" *
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Nikolaj William Coster-Waldau (; born 27 July 1970) is a Danish actor and producer. He graduated from the Danish National School of Performing Arts in Copenhagen in 1993, and had his breakthrough role in Denmark with the film '' Nightwatch'' (19 ...
as Lucas "Luke" Desange / Jeffrey Desange *
Megan Charpentier Megan Charpentier (born May 26, 2001) is a Canadian actress, best known for her roles as the feral child Victoria in the horror film ''Mama'' (2013), as the Red Queen in '' Resident Evil: Retribution'' (2012), and for her role as Gretta Keene ...
as Victoria Desange ** Morgan McGarry as Young Victoria *
Isabelle Nélisse Isabelle Nélisse (born December 3, 2003) is a Canadian actress. The younger sister of actress Sophie Nélisse, she is most noted for her roles in the films ''Mama'', '' Wait Till Helen Comes'' and ''The Tale''.Emily Buder"The Tale Is a Powerful, ...
as Lily Desange ** Maya and Sierra Dawe as Young Lily *
Daniel Kash Daniel Joshua Kash (born April 25, 1959) is a Canadian actor and film director. Life and career Kash was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Canadian opera singer Maureen Forrester and Toronto-born violinist and conductor Eugene Kash (May 1, 1 ...
as Dr. Gerald Dreyfuss *
Javier Botet Javier Botet López (born 30 July 1977) is a Spanish actor. Often cast in creature actor, creature roles, he has portrayed Tristana Medeiros in the REC (franchise), ''REC'' franchise (2007–2012), the title character in ''Mama (2013 film), Mam ...
as Mama ** Laura Guiteras and Melina Matthews as Mama (voice) **
Hannah Cheesman Hannah Cheesman is a Canadian actress and filmmaker. As a performer, Cheesman is known for portraying Lieutenant Commander Airiam in the second season of the CBS television series '' Star Trek: Discovery''. As a filmmaker, Cheesman has written an ...
as Beautiful Mama / Edith Brennan * Jane Moffat as Jean Podolski * David Fox as Burnsie * Julia Chantrey as Nina * Elva Mai Hoover as Secretary * Dominic Cuzzocrea as Ron * Diane Gordon as Louise


Production

The film began production in
Pinewood Toronto Studios Pinewood Toronto Studios (formerly known as ''Filmport'') is a major film and television studio complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is the largest of its kind in Canada. It is the first in Toronto capable of accommodating the production of ...
on 3 October 2011. Production ended on 9 December 2011. Parts of the film were also shot in
Quebec City, Quebec Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is th ...
. Although the film was produced in Canada, it is set in
Clifton Forge, Virginia Clifton Forge is a town in Alleghany County, Virginia, United States which is part of the greater Roanoke Region. The population was 3,555 at the 2020 census. The Jackson River flows through the town, which as a result was once known as Jac ...
. The film was initially scheduled for release in October 2012, but was later rescheduled for January to avoid competing with ''
Paranormal Activity 4 ''Paranormal Activity 4'' is a 2012 American Found footage (film technique), found footage supernatural horror film, directed by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost and written by Christopher Landon (filmmaker), Christopher Landon from a story by Cha ...
''. Its success at that later date has, among with other
dump months The dump months are what the film community has, before the era of streaming television, called the two periods of the year when there have been lowered commercial and critical expectations for most new theatrical releases from American filmmak ...
horror films, convinced studios to start opening horror movies year-round.


Reception


Critical reception

''Mama'' received mixed reviews from critics. It holds a 63% approval rating on
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
based on 166 reviews, with an average rating of 5.90/10. The website's critical consensus states: "If you're into old school scares over cheap gore, you'll be able to get over ''Mama''s confusing script and contrived plot devices."
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
gives the film a weighted average score of 57 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Richard Roeper Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American columnist and film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times''. He co-hosted the television series '' At the Movies'' with Roger Ebert from 2000 to 2008, serving as the late Gene Siskel's success ...
, writing for the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'', enjoyed the film, giving it three stars out of four and saying, "Movies like ''Mama'' are thrill rides. We go to be scared and then laugh, scared and then laugh, scared and then shocked. Of course, there's almost always a little plot left over for a sequel. It's a ride I'd take again."
Owen Gleiberman Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for ''Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...
, reviewing for ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'', gave the movie a B and said, "''Mama'' lifts almost every one of its fear-factor visuals from earlier films: the rotting black passageways that spread like mold over the walls (very '' Ringu'' meets '' Repulsion''); the fire in her eyes; the crouched figures that skitter and pounce à la the infamous 'spider' outtake from the original ''
Exorcist In some religions, an exorcist (from the Greek „ἐξορκιστής“) is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or performs the ridding of demons or other supernatural beings who are alleged to have possessed a person, ...
''; the way that Mama, with her arms like smoky-shadowy bent tendrils, evokes both the monster from the ''
Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
'' films and also, in a funny way, the crumpled-
puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...
gothic mischievousness of
Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993), ...
animation. Nothing in the movie is quite original, yet Muschietti, expanding his original short, knows how to stage a rip-off with frightening verve. It helps to have an actress on hand as soulful as
Jessica Chastain Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in films with feminist themes, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. ''Time'' ...
..."
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
editor Scott Corulla rated the film 7.3 out of 10 and wrote, "This is a fine first film for director Andrés Muschietti and, despite some missteps and disappointments, very well could be a harbinger of interesting things to come for the helmer." ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' wrote, "With Del Toro's name up front, expect ''Mama'' to be the winter horror film of choice in 2013." ''
The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...
'' called the film an "effectively spooky ghost story", adding, "''Mama'' is full of arty tropes – sepia-toned flashbacks, flickering lights, menacing murmurings. The atmosphere is positively spectral. And it's easy to see why del Toro is a champion: Like his ''
Pan's Labyrinth ''Pan's Labyrinth'' ( es, El laberinto del fauno, lit=The Labyrinth of the Faun, links=no) is a 2006 dark fantasy horror film written, directed and co-produced by Guillermo del Toro. A Spanish-Mexican(78% Spanish production, 22% Mexican productio ...
'', there's a fairy-tale aspect (the film even begins with the title card "Once upon a time..."), with children in jeopardy, a
witchy ''Witchy'' is a fantasy webcomic by Ariel Slamet Ries that started in 2014. The webcomic follows the young witch Nyneve in a world where magical proficiency is based on the length of one's hair. Though the world of ''Witchy'' is culturally and ...
monster, and edge-of-the-precipice confrontations." ''
Canyon News ''Canyon News'' is an English-language weekly newspaper published in Beverly Hills, California . It is distributed internationally and is published in conjunction with the ''San Francisco News''. Named for its location and coverage area, ''Can ...
'' wrote, "The scares do indeed come a mile a minute and will unnerve even some of the toughest moviegoers."
Mick LaSalle Mick is a masculine given name, usually a short form ( hypocorism) of Michael. Because of its popularity in Ireland, it is often used in England as a derogatory term for an Irish person or a person of Irish descent. In Australia the meaning broad ...
of the ''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...
'' wrote, "Director Andres Muschietti is cinematically literate – in one example he borrows a flashbulb effect from
Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
's ''
Rear Window ''Rear Window'' is a 1954 American mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "It Had to Be Murder". Originally released by Paramount Pictures, the film st ...
'' – and he has visual panache. Much of the movie is surprisingly beautiful."


Box office

In the United States, the film earned $28,402,310 on its opening weekend, debuting at #1 and playing at 2,647 theaters. As of 4 April 2013, it grossed $146,428,180 worldwide and is a commercial success. Additionally, Jessica Chastain, for the second time in her career, claimed the top two spots of the box-office with her starring roles in ''Mama'' and ''
Zero Dark Thirty ''Zero Dark Thirty'' is a 2012 American thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark Boal. The film dramatizes the nearly decade-long international manhunt for Osama bin Laden, leader of terrorist network Al-Qaeda, after the ...
''.


Accolades

In February 2013, it was reported that a sequel was in the works. In January 2016, Universal announced that duo Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kölsch would rewrite and direct the sequel. Chastain would not return for the sequel. But no progress were reported for the sequel, as of 2021.


See also

*
List of Canadian films of 2013 This is a list of Cinema of Canada, Canadian films which were released in 2013: See also * 2013 in Canada * 2013 in Canadian television References External linksFeature Films Released In 2013 With Country of Origin Canadaat IMDb2014 Canadian ...
*
List of Spanish films of 2013 A list of Spanish-produced and co-produced feature films scheduled for release in Spain in 2013. When applicable, the domestic theatrical release date is favoured. Films Box office The five highest-grossing Spanish feature films in 2013, ...
* La Llorona


References


External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mama 2013 films 2013 horror films 2010s ghost films English-language Canadian films English-language Spanish films English-language Mexican films Works by Neil Cross Features based on short films Films about dysfunctional families Films about murderers Films directed by Andy Muschietti Films set in 2008 Films set in Virginia Films shot in Quebec Films shot in Toronto Films produced by Guillermo del Toro 2010s supernatural horror films 2010s monster movies Uxoricide in fiction Films scored by Fernando Velázquez Canadian supernatural horror films Spanish supernatural horror films Mexican supernatural horror films Canadian horror films Spanish horror films Mexican horror films 2013 directorial debut films Universal Pictures films 2010s English-language films 2010s Canadian films 2010s Spanish films 2010s Mexican films