kill and eat the baby?

killed and ate the baby.

My one-sentence summary is this:
Honestly... it's a climate change movie wrapped in the story of the bible, as told by a man who struggles with relationships and thinks of himself as a genius.

There's a few things going on with the film worth noting before getting into what Kyle Smith is likely talking about.
1. It's about an artist who seems to love his fame more than he loves his current art and his wife, despite the fact that she adores him. The whole "you love me more than I love you" sort of thing. So that's one arc: He's a tortured artist looking for inspiration, she wants to have a family, he brings in strangers, she just wants to be with him, things get... fucked up.

2. Stack that on top of the bible allegory. Javier is the creator. The house (and property) is his creation. He loves his creation and he wants more. He introduces Man. There's a leak (great flood, y'all). There's more men. He introduces his own Child. Things get... fucked up.

3. Stack that on top of history of the earth from the perspective of Mother Nature, as it fits within the story of the bible. She's just trying to keep shit in order. To keep balance. But her husband (the creator) is more in love with his fans than her. They eventually break a sink, causing water to go everywhere (great flood, y'all) and they all leave. But they come back. People get out of control, and the house is getting torn apart. They want her dead because she stands in the way. She (basically) says fuck it, and torches the place by damaging the oil tank in the basement and setting it on fire.

So yeah... things start out nice and quiet... but as more people are introduced into her world (the people are constantly talking about how gracious He has been, without giving Mother any respect at all) things just get worse and worse for her. She still calls the house his (because it IS his house), but she's the caretaker, and he's letting them fuck it all up. When she DOES call it HER house, people laugh and scoff at her.

So. Kyle Smith. He gets a few things wrong.

Oh yes, some folks at Paramount are about to get fired. That said, I don't think Aronofsky made this specifically to outrage Christians, but given that it is, by far, his most personal work representing his struggle with religion and climate change, offending folks was inevitable. What I mean is, I don't think he's thinking, "HAHA! You stupid Christians!" He's had a cynical view of religion for a long time, but there's more going on here than just his interpretation of the bible.


I could be wrong, but isn't the rock monster thing based on the text that pre-dated the bible as we know it?


He's missing the point here. Yes, she takes on the roll of Virgin Mary for the sake of the child birth, but she isn't Virgin Mary throughout the entire film. She's mother nature.

I respect this stance. 100%. If people don't want to see that 3rd act, they should walk out. It's heavy.

But this is silly.

Again, I DO respect this stance. It's not easy to watch. The only thing I can say is that at least there isn't a literal rape going on, but that doesn't change the fact that the beating scene is... tough to watch. It is.


Again, I don't think Aronofsky is MOCKING Christian dogma. I think he's telling us about his struggle with accepting some of it. But I respect that interpretation.