Mothers' Instinct

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1:58

Mothers' Instinct

R

Released Jul 26, 2024

1h 34m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

52%

Tomatometer

63 Reviews

46%

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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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Rob A

Excellent acting by the two leading ladies, who co-produced this project as well, but uplifting it's not. It's a tragedy; it does not have a happy ending. While I acknowledge that's bold and different, I didn't like it. It left a bad aftertaste.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/21/25

Full Review

Courtney S

I don’t know if audiences really understand how complex and psychologically interesting this movie is. If you think of this movie on the surface level you’d think that the ending is disappointing. However, the more you think about the main characters and you pay attention the authenticity and true motherly instinct of both characters the plot seems even more captivating and thought-provoking.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/21/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Somewhat slow paced, but the great acting was keeping me engaged. But I became emotionally invested in these characters and the ending left me feeling depleted and depressed. Like I just wasted a couple hours of my life and now I need to recover from this movie.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/25

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Michael C

Great movie and great ending shocked at the ending and great acting... Superb!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/10/25

Full Review

George and Jennifer H

Fantastic acting, but incredibly disappointing ending. It was like all the effort was used in creating a good story, great characters and the right amount of mystery (for me). But, then, at the end, the effort was forgotten. Somebody yawned, stretched and went to take a nap instead of writing a satisfying ending. Riveting acting and I was ready for twists and turns. The potential was there for a great ending but, it just didn't happen.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/08/25

Full Review

Jen D

Fantastic acting from all actors. I enjoyed the movie and was happy that not all was as predicted. I recommend this one for sure.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/07/25

Full Review

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Benoît Delhomme

Director

Anne Hathaway

Céline

Jessica Chastain

Alice

Eamon Patrick O'Connell

Theo

Anders Danielsen Lie

Simon

Josh Charles

Damian

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Mothers' Instinct: Trailer 1

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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

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