M.O.M. Mothers of Monsters (2020)


REVIEWER RATING: 
9/10

DIRECTOR:

CAST:


Jacob Bell is mean. Jacob is scary. Jacob is also highly unpredictable.
Is Jacob a 16 year old psychopath?

Bailey Edwards expertly portrays a very troubled and violent teen in this found footage thriller from Tucia Lyman. Told (primarily) through the eyes of Jacob’s mother Abbey (Hamilton), M.O.M. is a perfectly created case study on the determination of whether or not the child of a single, 42 year old mother is disturbed and capable of extreme hostility.

Abbey Bell spends the majority of her days installing cameras around her home, in particular within the confines of Jacob’s bedroom to capture any and all vicious behavior.

What begins as uncovering some potential warning signs (i.e. circled ammo and assault rifles in gun magazines) goes chaotic with his obsession in play station war games and experimentation on his new pet rats. As Jacob’s mannerisms grow more sinister, so does Abbey’s crusade to define his motives and ultimate objective.

Each appearance of Abbey on camera is more desperate and hopeless than the last as she concentrates on mothering Jacob to the best of her ability while keeping him at a short arm’s length to avoid possible alarming situations.

As Abbey introduces her relationship with her mother and the family secrets begin to unfold, it becomes a countdown to nature vs. nurture…what is learned as opposed to what is an inevitable hereditary circumstance. Jacob continues to play the good boy when in front of his grandma, rambunctious teen in front of his friends and unleashes his dark side amongst his best buddy without any remorse.

Melinda Page Hamilton is absolutely outstanding as the frightened yet strong parent, forced to confront the demon – that of which is her son. Her perseverance is relentless and unwavering, as she consults with the family therapist portrayed by Ed Asner. Much to the dismay of a single mom in emotional need to fix her only child, everything comes to a shocking and awful climatic end that only exists between Abbey and Jacob.

OVERALL: 
What could be more horrifying for a single mother like an out of control teenager? How about one that takes control “a la hostage style” in order to press upon his authority of how the family will act, in the most ferocious way? What could be scarier than not knowing HOW violent your child is? It’s a waiting game that concludes powerfully with no winners in the battle to uncover psychotic behavior. It’s brilliant.


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