Academy Award© winner Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men, Skyfall) stars opposite Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence in Paramount Pictures’ psychological thriller m o t h e r ! in Philippine cinemas September 20.
Directed by Academy Award-nominee Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan), the film revolves around Mother (Lawrence) and Him (Bardem) who live in a seemingly idyllic existence in a secluded paradise. But the couple’s relationship is tested when man (Ed Harris) and woman (Michelle Pfeiffer) arrive at their home uninvited. Answering that knock disrupts their tranquil existence and as more and more guests arrive, mother is forced to revisit everything she knows about love, devotion and sacrifice.
To say Javier Bardem’s character is elusive would be an understatement. At the center of their house is his office, the sanctuary where he works and where his most valuable possession is kept, a mysterious object from the life he lived before meeting mother. And the mystery only deepens as the film goes on.
“Javier’s character has an inherent darkness,” notes producer Scott Franklin. “His character evolves throughout the film in a subtle way and you realize the character traits he has towards the end of the movie, he’s had all along. He just hid them.”
Co-star Michelle Pfeiffer, who plays woman, Ed Harris’s wife, says Bardem’s ability to play this character is a testament to what a great actor he is. “Javier is like a big teddy bear, very sweet. He is so good at playing these really evil, menacing characters” but in reality nothing could “be further from the truth.”
And for veteran thespian Bardem, playing opposite Pfeiffer, Harris and Lawrence, was the best kind of fuel for the fire. He described Lawrence as “an actress with no limitations, no boundaries. Considering the difficulty of this role and what my character puts her through, she doesn’t need to be hurt in order to create the pain she is experiencing. She is so committed. She is willing to go as far as she needs to and that takes an incredible strength to do what she has done. To take these risks, to do what she did, as an actor it says a lot. She is very brave.”
Rated R-16 Without Cuts by the MTRCB, m o t h e r ! is distributed in the Philippines by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.