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Mother/Android

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Mother/Android
Hulu release poster
Directed byMattson Tomlin
Written byMattson Tomlin
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPatrick Scola
Edited byAndrew Groves
Music by
  • Kevin Henthorn
  • Michelle Birsky
Production
companies
  • Miramax
  • 6th & Idaho Motion Picture Company
Distributed by
Release dates
  • December 17, 2021 (2021-12-17) (United States)
  • January 7, 2022 (2022-01-07) (International)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Mother/Android is a 2021 American post-apocalyptic science fiction thriller film, written and directed by Mattson Tomlin for his feature directorial debut, and starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Algee Smith, and Raúl Castillo. The film tells the story of a pregnant woman and her boyfriend who try to reach a fortified Boston amidst an AI takeover. It was released on December 17, 2021, on Hulu.[1]

Plot

On Christmas Eve at some point in the future, Georgia Olsen finds out that she is pregnant. The child's father, her boyfriend, Sam Hoth, asks her to marry him. Georgia, however, is uncertain both about the relationship and her desire to be a mother.

Forgetting her phone at home, Georgia goes to a college Christmas party with Sam. An android named Eli, owned by the Olsens, wishes Sam happy Halloween instead of Christmas, the first suggestion that something is amiss. Soon after, a shrill screech can be heard and an android turns violent, attacking Georgia and Sam who run away from the house. Smartphones unexpectedly start exploding, killing their users and leading to an AI takeover.

Nine months later, Georgia, expecting her baby, has taken shelter in the forest with Sam. The couple are trying to get to a fortified Boston. They have heard rumors about a boat that is transporting new mothers to Asia, where they can find a peaceful life.

They avoid all roads and travel through the woods, until they reach a military camp. While Georgia gets examined by a doctor, Sam tries to find out how to reach Boston. At night, he gets into a fight with one of the soldiers, and he and Georgia are expelled from the camp the next day. They continue on, until they find an abandoned house, where they spend the night. Sam finds a dirt bike and repairs it.

The following day, the couple are able to travel faster on the dirt bike. However, they are eventually spotted by an android, which leads to several androids and drones pursuing them. Sam drops off Georgia and tries to lure the androids away on the motorbike. Meanwhile, Georgia meets a camouflaged man who offers to help her. He turns out to be an AI programmer who tells her that the androids have learned to hack their software. He introduces himself as Arthur.

In the morning, Georgia awakes to contractions. She tells Arthur that she needs to find Sam, and he leads her to where her partner is being held. They approach a building patrolled by androids, from which cries of pain can be heard. Arthur gives Georgia a camouflaged vest, which he claims will conceal her. She walks through the building, looking for Sam, unseen by the androids. She finds him in one of the rooms, with his legs badly broken. While she is freeing Sam, another prisoner tries to draw the attention of the androids. Georgia drags Sam out into a large garage. She collapses from contractions, and just as they are about to be apprehended, Arthur intervenes, stabbing an android and saving them. Georgia goes into labor in Arthur's truck. She wakes up in a hospital clinic, with Sam beside her. A nurse informs her that the C-section delivery went well, and that they have a baby boy. The couple name their son Forest.

Later, Georgia gets questioned by a security officer. She tells him what she and Sam have been through, and mentions the vest that allowed her to avoid detection by androids. The officer tells her that such technology doesn't exist. Georgia then realizes that Arthur is an android and that he deceived her. Within moments, the power goes out, and the base comes under attack. Georgia, unable to wake Sam, heads down to try and activate the base perimeter and is confronted by Arthur. She kills Arthur by shooting him repeatedly. She manages to activate the perimeter and returns to Sam.

When Georgia wakes up again, Sam is up. Together with Forest, they head to the harbor, where officers are loading a boat headed to Korea. They are only able to take Forest, as Georgia and a legless Sam would be a burden. After pleading with them to no avail, Georgia is convinced by Sam to let Forest go and have a better life.

Cast and characters

  • Chloë Grace Moretz as Georgia Olsen
  • Algee Smith as Sam Hoth
  • Raúl Castillo as Arthur
  • Linnea Gardner as Sarah
  • Kiara Pichardo as Lisa
  • Oscar Wahlberg as Derrick
  • Christian Mallen as Kevin
  • Jared Reinfeldt as Connor
  • Liam McNeill as Daniel
  • Stephen Thorne as Eli
  • Jon F. Merz as Mr. Olsen
  • Tamara Hickey as Mrs. Olsen
  • Jason Bowen as Boston lieutenant
  • Hana Kim as Korean official
  • Benz Veal as Patrol
  • Will Lyman as Captain
  • Owen Burke as Officer Norton
  • Kate Avallone as Doctor Howe

Production

In September 2020, Chloë Grace Moretz, Algee Smith, and Raúl Castillo joined the cast of the film, with Mattson Tomlin directing from a screenplay he wrote, with Matt Reeves and Bill Block set to produce the film under their 6th and Idaho Productions and Miramax banners, respectively.[2][3][4]

Writing

A couple years after graduating from film school, Tomlin struggled to write his first movie until he decided to loosely focus on a very personal story, his own adoption story. He feels that by writing this, it has become a personal love letter to his biological parents.[5][6] He also tells in an interview with Collider, "I was born in the aftermath of the Romanian revolution, and I thought I would change that to the robot revolution." This was to have a genre component in addition to his personal story.[6]

Filming

Principal photography began in September 2020 with the majority of the film being located in Massachusetts.[7][8] Most of the filming was done from October 5, 2020 to November 12, 2020.[8]

Locations

Filming occurred throughout Massachusetts, with some locations being urban areas and the countryside. The downtown area of Boston, Massachusetts was used as the setting for the human colony and the Lynn Woods Reservation was the location of the android stronghold, "No Man's Land".[8]

Release

On March 10, 2021, Hulu acquired the U.S. distribution rights to the film.[9] It was released on December 17, 2021.[10] Netflix acquired the international streaming rights to the film and it was released in all other regions on January 7, 2022.[11]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes sampled thirty critics and judged 33% of the reviews to be positive, with an average rating of 4.90/10. The website's critics' consensus reads: "Mother/Android transcends its budgetary limitations on a visual level -- unfortunately, this sci-fi drama is less successful on the storytelling front."[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned Mother/Android a score of 43 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[13]

Lena Wilson of The New York Times comments the movie "offers little in the way of world building", as the reason for the android uprising is vague and confusing. She mentions that because of this, "It offers ample room for the film's strong emotional core, but can be hopelessly distracting."[14] Micheal Ordoña of the Los Angeles Times agreed, saying that in order to fully enjoy the film, they would have to focus on the main characters' "relationship and their mission to get their coming baby to safety and let the details blur." He notes that though the story has an "emotional resonance" with the filmmakers, referencing the real life situation it was based off of, its execution was not "immediate or terrifying as one imagines".[15]

References

  1. ^ Harvey, Dennis (December 17, 2021). "'Mother/Android' Review: The Future Looks Bleak for Chloë Grace Moretz and Her Baby". Variety. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "Mattson Tomlin, Chloe Grace Moretz Team for Sci-Fi Tale 'Mother/ Android' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. September 3, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  3. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (September 21, 2020). "'Euphoria's Algee Smith To Co-Star Opposite Chloe Grace Moretz In 'Mother/Android' Sci-Fi At Miramax". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  4. ^ "Raúl Castillo Joins Chloe Grace Moretz and Algee Smith for Cast of Miramax's MOTHER/ANDROID". PR Newswire. September 25, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  5. ^ Tomlin, Mattson (December 16, 2021). "Mattson Tomlin Interview: Mother/Android" (Interview). Interviewed by Graeme Guttmann. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Tomlin, Mattson (December 26, 2021). "Director Mattson Tomlin on Using His Own Personal Pain to Make 'Mother/Android' and How It's a Love Letter to His Parents" (Interview). Interviewed by Collider (website). Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  7. ^ Tomlin, Mattson (September 28, 2020). "I've wanted to be a director since I was seven years old. Been building 23 years to get to today. Can't wait for you all to see. 🤖💀🤖". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Trivedi, Dhruv (December 16, 2021). "Where Was Mother/Android Filmed?". The Cinemaholic. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  9. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 10, 2021). "Hulu Picks Up Chloë Grace Moretz Miramax-6th & Idaho Sci-Fi Thriller 'Mother/Android'". Deadline. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  10. ^ Grobar, Matt (October 20, 2021). "Mother/Android:Hulu Unveils Premiere Date & First Look Photos For Sci-Fi Thriller Starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Algee Smith & Raúl Castillo". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  11. ^ Moore, Kasey (December 10, 2021). "Hulu Movie 'Mother/Android' Releasing on Netflix Internationally in January 2022". What's on Netflix.
  12. ^ "Mother/Android". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  13. ^ "Mother/Android". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  14. ^ Wilson, Lena (December 16, 2021). "'Mother/Android' Review: How to Protect When You're Expecting". The New York Times. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  15. ^ Ordoña, Micheal (December 16, 2021). "Review: Chloë Grace Moretz is an expectant mother on the run in the robot apocalypse of 'Mother/Android'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
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