M.O.M. (Mothers of Monsters) is the feature film debut of director Tucia Lyman that tells the story of single mother Abbey Bell (Melinda Page Hamilton) who is struggling with the idea that her teenage son Jacob (Bailey Edwards) might be a psychopath.
M.O.M. (Mothers of Monsters) if a found footage style film in that the story is told through moments spliced together from old home videos, Abbey’s cell phone camera, Jacob’s cell phone videos, and a series of hidden cameras inside the Bell home. As each clip plays we watch as Abbey tries to find balance in her home while living with a son who is prone to “monster out.”
As the film ramps up Lyman rips off the band-aid to expose the ugly reality of mental health in today’s society as Abbey shares stories around the slew of medication her son is prescribed, the stigma from family and friends around Jacob’s behavior, and of course the struggle to get the medical community to believe her when her son can seemingly give a “rational” explanation for every irrational thing that he’s done. Ultimately leaving Abbey to question “why there aren’t more resources out there to deal with this kind of thing.”
The film is as much a commentary on society’s current management of mental health, borrowing directly from the journals and publications of real-life school shooters and their parents, as it is about a mother struggling with loving and protecting a son that she believes is a monster.
When that system ultimately fails her and tries to turn her concerns about her son into concerns about her own mental health Abbey is forced to take things into her own hands. Installing cameras around the house to document her sons behavior, we quickly begin to question whether its mother or son who are truly struggling with their mental health. But when her plan backfires there’s an uptick in the film’s tension as well as Jacob’s terrifying behavior leading to a twist ending you won’t see coming.
Overall I enjoyed M.O.M. (Mothers of Monsters). Melinda Page Hamilton and Bailey Edwards give strong, believable performances. In fact, Edwards’ Jacob felt too real at times, which made his performance and the character that much more unnerving. Their performances will take you on an emotional rollercoaster full of raw emotion that lead you to sympathize with both characters at various points in the film as you recognize the impossible situation that they’re in.
Performances aside, I imagine this film is going to divide its audience a bit since it pulls directly from current headlines and explores social issues like mental health and gun violence. Some will applaud this, others who likely have a little Jacob in them will scoff at it. I also imagine with it focusing so heavily on mental health that it may trigger some folks who deal with thoughts of suicide, self-harm, and the like. So definitely be aware of that going in.
M.O.M. (Mothers of Monsters) is solid thriller that relies on the horror of realness in performance and story to build tension and at just over an hour and a half, it makes a quick and entertaining watch.
The film is currently playing at the Arena Cinelounge in Hollywood and is expected to hit Cable and Digital VOD soon.
