Mothers' Instinct Review: Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway elevate 60s suburban thriller

They say the hardest job in the world is to be a mother, and Mothers' Instinct certainly enhances that ethos.

Mothers' Instinct is based on the 2018 French movie of the same name (Duelles in French), which itself is an adaptation of the 2012 novel Mothers' Instinct (Derrière la haine) by Barbara Abel.

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The official premise reads:

'Housewives Alice and Celine are best friends and neighbours who seem to have it all. However, when a tragic accident shatters the harmony of their lives, guilt, suspicion and paranoia begin to unravel their sisterly bond.'

It stars Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Josh Charles and Anders Danielsen Lie.

The two central performances from Hathaway and Chastain elevate this sometimes by-the-numbers domestic thriller.

Mothers' Instinct Review

Alice and Celine live perfect lives in 1960s suburbia. As next-door neighbours with workaholic husbands and young boys of the same age, they have bonded to become best friends, united by one thing they have in common - their love for their respective families.

When tragedy strikes as Celine's young son Max dies after falling from a house balcony - with neither Celine nor Alice there to supervise him - the paranoia and mental anguish begins.

In the first third of the movie, we as an audience side with Celine, not just due to the fact that she has lost her son, but due to the suspect reaction of Alice, who is convinced Celine blames her for the death of Max.

It is interesting to note the reaction to Max's death from the rest of the characters -  Celine is distraught, her husband Damian turns to alcohol and becomes a shell of a man, Alice immediately and defensively gets her back up, her husband Simon is seemingly the only person keeping his head, while her son Theo is philosophically wondering what has happened to his best friend, Max.

Alice is a kind neighbour in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, but once she sees Theo on the balcony bonding with Celine, she is convinced she is being put to the test.

Up until now, it is a run-of-the-mill psychological thriller that wouldn't look out of place as an afternoon drama on weekday terrestrial TV.

But, we luckily have two expert, Academy Award-winning performers in Hathaway and Chastain, who elevate the movie to a point it doesn't have the right to get to.

There's nothing particularly shocking about the revelations that come in the final third, but it is a testament to both actors that we still find ourselves completely engrossed.

Indeed, the performances are so good by both that we find ourselves switching allegiances more than once throughout the film. Is Alice crazy and overreacting or should she be listened to? Is Celine just a mother struggling with grief, or is there something much more sinister going on?

Debut Director Benoît Delhomme is a cinematographer by trade and he certainly uses that to his advantage here, with some truly wonderful shots in the perfect 1960s setting, Shout out to the costume design also as Hathaway's Jackie-Kennedy-esque look at the start of the movie is quickly morphed into Morticia Adams, while Chastain's wardrobe also hints at her state of mind in each particular scene.

Mothers' Instinct won't pull up any trees in terms of storyline, but it is still a huge treat to get to see Hathaway and Chastain - who are very good friends in real life - have fun with a project that sees them go at each other. They clearly trust each other implicitly and that shines through in their performances as they both take turns playing crazy and then straight.