Jakarta. Grieving the loss of your child is no easy journey for a mother, as seen in the 94-minute-long movie “Mothers’ Instinct” (2024). 

Directed by Benoît Delhomme, the movie is a remake of Oliver Masset-Depasset’s 2018 film, which is an adaptation of Barbara Abel’s novel ‘Derrière la haine’. 

“Mothers’ Instinct” follows the story of two housewives, Alice (Jessica Chastain) and Celine (Anne Hathaway). They are best friends and neighbors who both have sons of the same age. However, things take a dark turn when Celine’s son Max (Baylen D. Bielitz) falls off the balcony, to which Alice is a witness. Alice feels that Celine blames her for Max’s accidental death. The already over-protective Alice then grows paranoid over her son Theo (Eamon Patrick O’Connell), fearing that Celine will kill her child out of jealousy and revenge.

As expected, both Chastain and Hathaway deliver in the acting department. Hathaway shows her acting skills: the blank stares as Celine wishes Max was still alive, the realistic scream that she lets out upon realizing her son had fallen off the balcony. And then we have Chastain who has done a great job at portraying the paranoid mother Alice. 

“Mothers’ Instinct”, which has now hit theaters in Indonesia, is also quite well-paced.

It gives enough time for the audience to get to know how close Celine and Alice are before the tragedy. The movie also keeps the audience guessing if Alice indeed has gone crazy or if Celine is out there to get her revenge. It has a good build-up before the movie reveals Celine’s plan of killing Max’s father, Alice, and her husband while sparing Theo whom she will adopt later on.

But aside from the great acting and pacing, it is actually the colors in the movie --particularly what Celine wears-- that catch my attention the most. 

Like most psychological thrillers, the story usually starts out happy. At the beginning, we see Celine singing along with Max and Theo in the car. Celine wears a sky-blue dress and matching pumps. Such a bright shade of blue makes Celine appear as someone who is living the white-picket-fence life. The dress somewhat matches the powder blue uniform shirts that the boys are wearing. The harmonious colors, coupled with the heartwarming sing-along, show Celine’s good relationship with Max and his best friend Theo.

Since Max’s passing, we mostly see Celine in black -- the color of mourning. Even on a “happy” occasion like Theo’s birthday party, she still wears black. 

At some point in the movie, Celine tries to visit Max’s school -- dressed in all white -- the polar opposite of black. The color white reminds you of a blank canvas. It gives a sense of wanting to start a new page in life. But it can also be Celine’s attempt to make it appear she has accepted her son’s death, although this facade immediately crumbles when she faints at school. Celine is still struggling with what has happened.

And then we have the big twist.

After her killing spree, Celine decides to take over the motherly role and adopt Theo. The ending shows Celine and Theo walking on a beach. Celine wears a dark navy dress, while Theo is dressed in a T-shirt of a similar color. Prior to the tragic murders, both Celine and Theo have bonded over Max’s death. Celine misses her son, while Theo is also trying to cope with his best friend’s passing. The matching colors in the beach scene signify their bond, but also Celine's attempt to once again feel like a mother just like at the beginning. This darker shade of blue -- a contrast to the vibrant dress at the beginning-- is also reminiscent of the dark path that Celine has to take to become Theo’s mother.

It is a mystery whether these color choices are intentional or a coincidence, but “Mothers’ Instinct” is quite an enjoyable movie overall. The ending also leaves the audience wondering about the motive behind Celine sparing Theo. Does she truly care for Theo? Or is she only using Theo as a replacement for Max? Has she finally accepted Max’s death and just wants to start a new chapter in life?

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