I Am Mother
by Grant Sputore

Let’s face it, Netflix is known for great original series and not so much for their original movies. For some reason, many Netflix original films face harsh criticism in the disgusting echo chamber that is Social Media and the Internet. While I will agree, to an extent, that some of the films they distribute as original content fall below the bar of what I find entertaining, some films do exceed my expectations. One of those films that I find to be exceptional is the recent release, I Am Mother.

This post-apocalyptic, sci-fi/horror adventure is set in the future after an extinction event has occurred, wiping humanity from the face of the planet. Inside a high-tech bunker, a robot named Mother is charged with caring for 63,000 human embryos. We are shown scenes that span over a decade as Mother raises a child and cares for her, and finally the main plot begins when Daughter is a teen. We learn that an infection wiped out the world and the levels are still too high for any human to survive outside the bunker. Daughter must never venture outside and eventually she will care for the other embryos and bring them into the world, just as Mother did.

As with most stories of sci-fi substance, what we see is not always how it is. Daughter’s curiosity for the outside world grows stronger each day and out of nowhere, a human shows up at the bunker, wounded and begging for help. Of course, Daughter lets the woman inside and we find out Mother is a liar and there was never an infection; violent, murderous droids were the cause of the extinction event.

That’s all I’ll say regarding the plot because it really unfolded nicely and in ways that you wouldn’t expect. Mother looks cool as hell, the story was well structured, and the plot was carried by only three characters. The twists toward the end were refreshing and not meant to be jaw dropping and, personally, I didn’t find any plot holes or unbelievable elements to cause more than a few eye rolls.

Science fiction and horror tend to reflect current political and social climates, and I feel that the underlying theme of humanity being our own worst enemy is relevant as fuck. Though we are innovative and we create, we are also destructive and habitual, repeating the same mistakes and reluctant to face our fatal flaws. We are a society that wants to blame something else when anything goes wrong as opposed to owning up and solving the problem.

I Am Mother is what it is, a great post-apocalyptic film. With solid acting, stimulating visuals, and a thought-provoking lesson to be learned, I’d recommend it to any fan of the genre.