mama film review

Film: Mama
 Date of release: February 2013 (UK)
 Director: Andres Muschietti
 Genre: Horror
 What happened in the film?
 Mama is a horror film which is about an uncle who takes control to look after his nieces who were abandoned and forced to grow up alone in a forest alone. They were found 5 years later and later discovered that they weren't alone as how people thought they were. Strange things kept happening and the young girls weren't like stereotypical young girls as they were forced to copy and teach themselves how to grow up. With the youngest girl only being one when she was left alone with her 3 year old sister she had no skills on how to socialise or even walk so it was left to her and her sister to learn these skills.
 What were your favourite scenes in the film and why? I liked the way that there was the recurrence of the moths you see them throughout the film and it gives you that idea of foreshadowing events in which you find out at the end when they disappear and lots of moths appear. Throughout the film the young girl Lily eats moths, which shows a sense of closeness with this creature who she calls 'Mama'. Another scene that I liked from this film was the one where they first enter the log cabin and find the girls for the first time in 5 years and you see all there drawings all over the walls. The creatures in the pictures foreshadow later events such to when they find them in this room and they crawl. The use of collision cutting in this scene is very effective. The low key lighting also works really well because you don't expect to see them in there looking the way that they look.
 What conventions of horror films did the film include? I think this film had a good use of psychological horror interpreted into it because it really makes you feel for the characters and get into their heads. Especially the scene where Annabel finds Lily outside and she brings her in and she is screaming and wriggling. Through persistence, she finds home and warmth within her when she realises that Annabel is not out to hurt her or her sister Victoria. I also liked the way in which the film swaps from scene to scene to disorientate you. You see them go from the young girls being scared of them being at home but then they swap back them into being back into the cabin and being looked after at the creature and it takes you time for you to realise that, that is what is actually going on. It messes with your emotions because it makes you start feeling sorry for them because they know no better than the life they had with 'mama' the creature in which they think is their mother and it makes you feel sorry for the horrible upbringing they have had but when you see Victoria finally find warmth and home with her uncle and Victoria. Annabel is the the stereo typical final girl she has this rough punk rock look about her and throughout the film you see that she wants to give up but you know that isn't the right thing for her to do, so she carries on so despite her being rock chick and you think that stereotypically that she doesn't care you see a side of her which shows that she is soft and has all the best intentions. The male hero who is out to save them and is the only member of the family left who hasn't given up hope is their uncle. He is the stereotypical family man who despite what has gone on he does not give up on the girls even when he see's the state they are in when they get found he still carries on and shows that their is still some hope for them. He is a handsome man and this is what we see predominantly with horror films that the hero is attractive and someone who most people would want to be saved by. The creepy location works really well in this scene and I like the way that they keep going back to it with clips so it doesn't let you forget what life the girls had, the fact its in a dark woods is also something we see a lot in horror films because especially with the use of the low key at night this is not somewhere you would want to be left at night especially not as two young girls on their own.
 What aspects of the film would you like to include in your own trailer? Aspects of this film I would like to interpret into my trailer I would like to use the various settings because I thought that this helped with the narrative because its seen to be that at home and with your family is where you are supposedly safe but this film shows different it shows that you are not safe anywhere. The lighting throughout the settings works really well because you see glimpses on things but you don't know till the end of the film what is going on so you are left hanging till the very end. Another thing that I would like to use in my trailer would be the use of the collision cuts because I feel this is a good way to make people jump from the quiet music to a sudden screech from the children and the creatures. The seen when the two men enter the house and you see the shadows of the girls and the drawings and one man is in the kitchen then all of a sudden one of the girls(Lily) jumps out and screams. I also like the way that they have used children. Although I have never been a fan of horror films that use children, this film works really well because you see the lengths that people would go for family and someone they love. The seen when the uncle is in hospital and although he hasn't been discharged he still goes into the woods because of his visions of his brother in the woods he wants to go back and look for him in case there is any hope that he is still alive.
 What would you like to avoid in your own trailer? Something that I wouldn't like to interpret into my own trailer would be some of the scenes of the film were quiet repetitive although in the end you did see it become a big part of the ending of the film. I liked the way that they kept cutting back to the house but sometimes I felt that if this was left to a little less the narrative may have been a bit clearer although towards the end of the film you did get the idea of the story line but it did take a while to understand. The best aspect of the film is the use of the children when you see them become 'normal' again. The fact that there was a big twist to the film because the ending of the film you expect there to be happy ending but still you are shocked with what actually happens and then again you are proven wrong.When Victoria decided to stay with her uncle and Annabel I thought that there was going to be a transformation to Lily that either she would stay because even after you realise that all 'mama' wanted was her baby and when Annabel gave her baby to her it still wasn't good enough and she still took Lily with her. But Lily unfortunately was not able to adapt to the human life but Victoria could because she already knew a tiny bit of this before taken on by 'mama'. I think this works well for people that watch a lot of horror films and are very clever as this would be one for them that takes them to the very end and still can be shocked.
 How does the film relate to its institutional context? This film represents the institutional context because the film was made in 2013 the fact that family is very important is shown throughout the whole of this film. That when the uncle is ill and in hospital he leaves when he isn't well he still leaves to show them how much the family mean to them. The film represents the use of divorced families and new relationships because although Victoria and the uncle were not married and the children were not their own they were able to take the children on. Also the fact that Annabel is this sassy "punk" and a final girl and she was unsure around children she was able to adapt and she learns to become a mother. Throughout the film you see her maintain her strength even though from scenes you see her want to give up she never does. I think this shows her as a stronger character than her boyfriend and this represents the rise of women's strength in modern day society.