Mothers' Instinct

Play trailer

1:58

Mothers' Instinct

R

Released Jul 26, 2024

1h 34m

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

52%

Tomatometer

63 Reviews

47%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Set in the early '60s, best friends and neighbors Alice (Jessica Chastain) and Celine (Anne Hathaway) both live an idyllic traditional lifestyle with manicured lawns, successful husbands, and sons of the same age. Life's perfect harmony is suddenly shattered after a tragic accident. Guilt, suspicion and paranoia combine to unravel their sisterly bond a psychological battle of wills begins as the maternal instinct reveals its darker side.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Mothers' Instinct is a glossily enjoyable showcase for Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway, although the stars are ill-served by a thin story and shaky tonal command.

Read Critics Reviews

Brian Tallerico

RogerEbert.com

“Mothers’ Instinct” gets by on its pulpy potential more than anything else.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 16, 2024

Full Review

Ty Burr

Washington Post

The movie that is is disappointingly bloodless, cold rather than chilling, with a payoff that isn’t shocking so much as an admission that we’ve spent 90 minutes we’ll never get back.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 15, 2024

Full Review

Richard Lawson

Vanity Fair

It is slickly made and thoroughly entertaining, flamboyant flourishes and all. But it seems that, with a few minor exceptions, no one really knows what to do with movies like it anymore.

Jul 31, 2024

Full Review

John Serba

Decider

To say the third act is an utter hogslop mess is to grossly underplay the messiness of hog slop.

Jan 6, 2025

Full Review

Ben Gibbons

Screen Rant

Mothers' Instinct delivers a tense, compelling, and thrilling story that leads to constant guessing and reassessing about what could be true.

Rated: 8/10

Jan 4, 2025

Full Review

Francesca Steele

iNews.co.uk

This Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway thriller relies on stereotypes it never gets round to subverting.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 11, 2024

Full Review

Read all reviews

Nim T

Surprised to see the relatively low ratings for the movie. As much as I didn't like the story, the chemistry between the actors and actresses was executed well. Anne Hathaway was impressive in this character that just had nothing but unconditional love for her only son. The transition from her being good to bad was not something I liked to see, but objectively presented it understandably. Jessica Chastain was able to receive the act from Hathaway and possessed no less understanding of the loss of family. Setting was simple, yet nostalgic with the old cars and the decorations of the houses. The makeup and visual effects was clear, and portrays woman homemakers accurately.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/20/25

Full Review

The H

Pretty good, made you wonder if what you think is going on is actually going on. I liked the concept of the movie even though it's deranged.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/14/25

Full Review

Joaquim M

I felt this to be a really good thriller.the story i felt to be cold & calculating at times. Jessica Chastain & Anne Hathaway were very good.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/08/25

Full Review

Aldo G

Loss and suspicion are the themes in this old-school-type film. Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway have the chemistry necessary to keep your interests in a film with a measured approach.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/03/25

Full Review

Rachel M

It had suspense and was good as far as a thriller goes, but I didn’t really get the story. The character motivation for decisions didn’t make sense to me. And, like, what was the point of the movie?

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/28/25

Full Review

Rene W

I don’t care for many 2024-2025 movies but my boyfriend and I thoroughly enjoyed watching this. It has been a while since I’ve seen movies I’ve enjoyed, so this was very nice to watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/20/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Benoît Delhomme

Director

Anne Hathaway

Céline

Jessica Chastain

Alice

Eamon Patrick O'Connell

Theo

Anders Danielsen Lie

Simon

Josh Charles

Damian

Strictly Confidential

17%

37%

Strictly Confidential

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Strictly Confidential

The Image of You

63%

40%

The Image of You

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Image of You

Alice, Darling

84%

42%

Alice, Darling

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Alice, Darling

Magpie

83%

81%

Magpie

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Magpie

Gazer

79%

%

Gazer

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Gazer

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Mothers' Instinct: Trailer 1

1:58

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Set in the early '60s, best friends and neighbors Alice (Jessica Chastain) and Celine (Anne Hathaway) both live an idyllic traditional lifestyle with manicured lawns, successful husbands, and sons of the same age. Life's perfect harmony is suddenly shattered after a tragic accident. Guilt, suspicion and paranoia combine to unravel their sisterly bond a psychological battle of wills begins as the maternal instinct reveals its darker side.

Director: Benoît Delhomme
Producer: Kelly Carmichael, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Paul Nelson, Jacques-Henri Bronckart
Screenwriter: Sarah Conradt-Kroehler
Distributor: NEON
Production Co: Versus Production, Anton, Mosaic, Freckle Films, Wheelhouse Productions
Rating: R (Some Violence|Brief Sexuality)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 26, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 13, 2024
Runtime: 1h 34m

Most Popular at Home Now