Mother, Couch Review | Surrealist & Star-Studded Dramedy with No Answers

Summary

• Mother, Couch
  is an absurdist dramedy that asks more questions than it answers. You have to be curious and adventurous for this film, unlike most viewers.
• The film evokes the theater of the absurd and is unique enough to appeal to arthouse cinephiles.
• Strong lead performances from a stacked cast ultimately don’t amount to much as the story takes a fever dream turn, leaving some audiences bewildered.

Three estranged half-siblings face a family crisis when their horrible mother refuses to leave a bankrupt furniture store. Mother, Couch sports an all-star cast in a surrealist dramedy that leaves many questions purposely unanswered. Strong lead performances by Ewan McGregor and a venomous Ellen Burstyn don’t amount to much in the end. The film evokes the theater of the absurd, with a head-scratching response when the narrative goes bonkers. What begins as relatively straightforward takes a fever dream turn that pushes weird off a cliff. This approach may appeal to the art house cinema crowd but will leave most audiences befuddled.

Family, Trapped

Mother, Couch (2024)

2/5

The members of a dysfunctional family find themselves mysteriously trapped in an antiquated furniture store when their elderly matriarch (Ellen Burstyn) suddenly refuses to get up from one of the display couches. Reluctantly assembled, her three estranged children – David (Ewan McGregor), Gruffudd (Rhys Ifans), and Linda (Lara Flynn Boyle) – must figure out how to escape this bizarre predicament. With the help of the store managers, Marco & Marcus (F. Murray Abraham), and their daughter Bella (Taylor Russell) the siblings embark on a mind-bending odyssey that forces them to face life-altering truths about their own lives and upbringing.

Release Date July 5, 2024

Director Niclas Larsson

Writers Niclas Larsson

Distributor(s) Film Movement

Pros

• A bizarre film that’s unusual enough for the adventurous art house crowd.
• Ellen Burstyn is truly vicious among an interesting and dynamic cast.

Cons

• A bizarre film that’s too unusual for most audiences.
• The film abandons reality in favor of absurdity, but to what end?

David (McGregor) paces nervously in the downstairs showroom of Oakbed’s furniture store. He wonders why Mother (Burstyn) is taking so long looking at a couch. Gruffudd (Rhys Ifans), his older brother, passes the time hitting on the beautiful clerk. Bella (Taylor Russell) gets personal and flirty while David watches them with waning patience. He goes upstairs to find Mother firmly rooted on the green couch. She refuses to move despite his pleas. David’s already late for a children’s birthday party. His wife (Lake Bell) keeps calling him to pick up a cake.

Mother’s not hungry, tired, or sick. She swears to attack and fight anyone who tries to force her off the couch. Mother has a knife and isn’t afraid to use it. An exasperated David goes back to Gruffud for help. Neither of them can make sense of why their mother is being so stubborn. David decides to call his oldest sibling. The chain-smoking Linda (Lara Flynn Boyle) arrives shortly in her revved-up Camaro. She says to call 911. Linda doesn’t play mind games with Mother.

Related Why Ellen Burstyn Should Have Won the Academy Award for Best Actress

It’s time to assess why Ellen Burstyn deserved to win an Oscar for Requiem for a Dream.

Ellen Burstyn’s Bad Mama

The impasse continues late into the night after a delivery of Chinese food. David’s wife is pretty upset; she gets another child’s father to handle David’s duties. This increases his furor but to no avail. Mother remains firmly glued to the couch. Why is she doing this? Her utterly mystified children argue about the possibility of her spending the night at the store, a scenario which Bella surprisingly agrees to allow. David volunteers to stay with Mother and get to the bottom of her intransigence. He’s gobsmacked as Mother reveals ugly truths and Bella returns to the store.

Mother, Couch works when dealing with a broken family’s strained relationships. Each sibling serves as a chapter in Mother’s life which she regrets. Mother isn’t kind, endearing, or loving. She’s bitter and demanding, without an ounce of compassion for anyone else. David doesn’t realize or accept the true nature of his vile parent. His brother and sister, who he desperately wants to know better, have long figured out Mother’s uncaring modus operandi. These first-act interactions are realistic to a degree and make the audience empathetic to David’s plight.

Mother, Couch devolves considerably when surreal and abstract events start occurring, none of which gives light to Mother’s odd behavior. The introduction of F. Murray Abraham playing very different, chainsaw swinging twin brothers is absolutely nuts. Marcus / Marco own the store but aren’t on the same page regarding their overnight guests’ problems. This is where reality comes into question. Does Oakbed’s represent something else? Could the entire situation be an imagined fantasy?

Related 15 Arthouse Directors Who Helped Define the Genre

Arthouse cinema usually stands out for nuance and aesthetics. These are the most influential directors who are all considered icons of the genre.

Mother, Couch Is an Unexplained and Divisive Experience

Writer/director Niclas Larsson adapts Mother, Couch from Swedish author Jerker Virdborg’s obscure novel. Larsson, known for his short films and acclaimed commercials, aims for depth in his feature debut. He’s trying to craft a performance piece that takes place in a seemingly innocuous setting. But Oakbed’s, with its drab warehouse decor and muted color palette, becomes an equally important character. The couch prompts Mother’s expulsion of disdain. It’s akin to a bitter pill that destroys all pretense and niceties. That’s acceptable until Oakbed’s transforms into something else. The environment undergoes a drastic change that calls into question everything we’ve seen up to that point.

Related: Mother, Couch – Niclas Larsson Interview

Larsson explains why his characters need growth, but sets them on an opaque path that leaves much to be inferred in a literally stormy conclusion. Was Mother ever on the couch? Or is it just a symbolic object of her children’s torment? Larsson doesn’t believe in giving his audience a clear resolve. This can be maddening to those who expect to a leave a film with finality. This is definitely not a case of A plus B equals C.

Mother, Couch is a divisive experience. Unexplained variables abound and bewilder. That’s not a compelling enough reason to warrant further discussion. Mother is someone you never want to see again. This might have been Larsson’s goal all along.

Mother, Couch is a production of Lyrical Media, Film i Väst, and Snowglobe, et al. It is currently in limited release at New York City’s Angelika Film Center with distribution to Los Angeles on July 12th from Film Movement. Find more showtimes around the country here. You can watch a clip from the film below:

You can view the original article HERE.