Based on a 2008 Spanish-language short-film of the same name by Andres Muschietti, MAMA is a supernatural thriller that tells the modern-day ghost story of two little girls, Victoria and Lilly, who disappear into the woods the day that their mother is murdered. Thankfully(?), after five years worth of time and money spent by their Uncle Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who also plays the girls' father Jeff), the girls are found in a decrepit cabin, alive but feral, muttering about the enigmatic "Mama." The girls are eventually released into the custody of Lucas and his rockstar girlfriend, Annabel (Jessica Chastain), and the newly formed family moves into a home provided by the court and the girls' psychiatrist, Dr. Dreyfuss (Daniel Kash). However, as Lucas and Annabel find out, Victoria and Lilly may not be the only new additions to the family.
Basing a feature length film on a short is not a new practice. Many films based on short films have been incredibly successful, including BOOGIE NIGHTS, DISTRICT 9, and 12 MONKEYS. That being said, the 2008 MAMA is no more than 3 minutes. No matter how competent a filmmaker you have, it's going to be difficult to stretch those 3 minutes into a 100 minute feature film. And this is where MAMA (2013) struggles. In order to get Victoria and Lilly into the cabin to essentially start the movie proper, we get 10 to 15 minutes of the girls' father Jeff shooting his partners (we find this out from a car radio broadcast) and then his wife (off-screen), driving his girls away from the home, swerving off a cliff, stumbling into the cabin, building a fire, preparing himself and finally attempting to kill his daughters only to be killed by the shadowy "Mama." And then Jeff (except a brief scene or two), his wife, his partners and their entire situation is never mentioned again.
That's kind of how MAMA, as a whole, goes. Despite a strong performance by Jessica Chastain, who although she isn't given much is clearly having a great time and making the most of what there is to work with, and a genuinely creepy atmosphere throughout, there just isn't a lot here. The middle act of the film, though full of frightening sequences, begins to become repetitive -- with Annabel dealing with her new, creepy kids, Victoria and Lilly playing with some offscreen monstrosity, and then something happens that scares the crap out of Annabel and the audience both. Then we reset and do it again the next day with little to no change (except Annabel maybe being slightly more reluctant to open that closet). Likewise, the central mystery of the film is fascinating, however through a series of contrivances including an old archivist lady who basically gifts the entire solution to Dr. Dreyfuss and the audience at the same time, it all happens far too fast for any real emotional connection. On the same note, the theme of the deep bond that forms between mother and daughter is also an enthralling one, but one that comes too late into the movie to have any real resonance.
That being said, Andres Muschietti is able to create a magnificently haunting atmosphere through strategic lighting and sound effects, and by his manipulation of framing, choosing to imply the horrific acts perpetrated by "Mama" rather than show it in all of its gory glory. There is definitely a clear style to the film that isn't lost from the short; one that makes it easy to see why del Toro was drawn to the project. For instance, in the opening credits the girls' 5 years in the cabin is depicted through childish crayon drawings that vary from sweet to nauseatingly disturbing. It is an impeccable demonstration of subtle filmmaking that shows that despite MAMA's shortcomings, Muschietti is a definite talent.
Sadly, MAMA is unable to capitalize on the atmosphere it creates when the monster is finally revealed. Though the creature design is unique and very effecting, in execution of the CGI is mediocre at best and nearly undoes everything that Muschietti builds up to that point. By the time "Mama" is revealed, the final act of the film becomes less of a horror movie and more of a family drama with one of the parties being the disturbing, female ghost version of Rocky Dennis from MASK. The central mystery is completely discarded and what we're left with is a strange sequence that feels both appropriate and yet completely unearned.
However, this ending does do something with the little girls that most other films of this ilk would not have the balls to do, and it should be commended for that. And despite all of its problems, it's still a mildly entertaining horror film with a unique visual style that mixes a legitimately haunting environment with obligatory jump scares. And yet with its countless contrivances and plot holes, it is easy to see why this film made an excellent short film (and probably would have been better as an extended short) but struggled heavily with its conversion to the big screen.
But for what it's worth, MAMA really scared my mama and she's pretty tough. 6 out of 10 (8 out of 10 on the Mom-Scare-o-Meter)
For those interested, here's the 2008 short:
