Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here. This film may not be new to some of the overseas readers (I saw a legit DVD import of this movie at a horror convention over the weekend, so I know some of you have probably seen this already), but I wanted to go on the record as a rabid supporter of this fantastic work by one of the true inventors of modern horror. We've been running reviews of it since late last year, but it's now slowly making its way across the country in art houses, and opens here in Chicago this Friday.
If you have any affection for the blood-soaked thrillers of Italian horror maestro Dario Argento then you've probably been going bat-shit crazy waiting for his latest film, MOTHER OF TEARS, being billed as the third installment of Argento's Three Mothers trilogy (after the 1977 terror masterpiece SUSPIRIA as well as the excellent INFERNO from 1980).
For those gore lover unfamiliar with Argento's work, shame on you. Still, you shouldn't have any trouble jumping right into the gory deep end of this movie. Although not connected to the other two films plot-wise, MOTHER OF TEARS shares the earlier works' celebration of all things hideous and evil, and it's glorious combination/celebration of vile and violent behavior, suspense, and bad dubbing. There's really no point in going too deep into the plot, because it's absolutely ridiculous and nonsensical. But that doesn't mean Argento hasn't created a universe that manages to blend and make some sense of the outrageous.
Argento's first master stroke is casting his daughter, Asia, in the lead role. Asia Argento has been on a bit of an acting roll lately with stellar performances in such works as THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS, (which she also directed), MARIE ANTOINETTE, BOARDING GATE, and THE LAST MISTRESS. Even if you don't find her attractive (you insane person), she's an always-fascinating person to observe on screen. In a strange sense, I actually believe she's a smart enough actress to adjust her acting style to suit a film directed by her father. Dario Argento's films are not known for their great performances--I always felt like I was watching Italian soap operas with his stuff. And in most circumstances, this would be a negative. But as I watched more and more of his works in my formative years, I began to realize that this was part of Argento's style. Not surprisingly (she's been in his films before), his daughter knows the intricacies of what makes her father's work unique and stylized, and she gives a performance perfectly suited to his best offerings. It's not the kind of acting that makes you feel like you have to lower your expectations or standards to appreciate; it's just different.
Asia plays Sarah Mandy, an American art history student who takes part in the opening of an ancient artifact that lands in a museum where she works. A woman she works with is absolutely butchered by demons after opening a sacred urn, which also unleashes upon the world an evil monkey (as a fan of "Family Guy," I had to laugh). For some reason, the opening of the urn triggers a series of mass suicides and other forms of violence. Witches start coming out of the woodwork in huge numbers and they all seem to have their sights set on killing poor Sarah, perhaps because she escaped the clutches of the evil monkey. That's my theory, and I refuse to stray from it.
As in most Argento films, the police are useless, the villains are deliciously nasty, and the "heroes" are really just a series of victims awaiting a wild and chunky evisceration. In a fascinating way, the film isn't meant to be taken seriously, but at the same time it almost dares you not to treat it with respect. Sarah finds out her mother was a powerful psychic, and she soon develops her own mind powers with the assistance of her dead mother's ghost.
In a different context, this plot point is laughable, but it also leads to some spectacular visuals and, of course, buckets o' blood. In case I'm not making it abundantly clear, I worship this film. It harkens back to a time in the 1980s, when Italian horror (led by Argento) ruled the world, in general, and my life, in particular.
Lest you think I'm an Argento apologist, I've thought most of the he's done in recent years has been utter junk. His last film, THE CARD DEALER, is practically unwatchable; that said, his first "Masters of Horror" entry, "Jenifer," is pretty wonderful. MOTHER OF TEARS is not only a return to blood and guts; it's a return to form and relevance for the nearly 70-year-old groundbreaking genius. Argento is one of the reasons I fell in love with horror, and this film reminds me why.
Capone
