Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Mama’

Written by Scott Edwards 

One of the greatest fears for parents is having their children kidnapped or having them run away. Those fears exist because, we want our kids around us at all times, but also, if they are gone, we do not know if they are being taken care of. Not being able to be in our children’s lives could destroy a parent and adding the fear of the unknown to what is happening to them could drive them to madness. Wanting what is best for our children will always be the primary concern for a parent and if they are not able to provide that, I would hope that they can find someone that can.

After killing his wife, Jeffrey is on the run with his two daughters Victoria and Lilly. Not wanting to lose them to anyone, he is trying to get away as quickly as possible to find a new home for them. When his car slides off of an icy road, the motherless family needs to find a place to hold up until Jeffrey can get his bearings back. Chancing upon what appears to be an abandoned cabin, Jeffrey and the girls have found a home for the time being, but there is someone else in the house that wants the girls more than he does. Being killed, Jeffrey has left his girls alone in the house with no chance of survival, but there is someone in the house that will take care of them and stay with them no matter what.

Lucas, Jeffrey’s brother, has been exhausting his bank accounts trying to find his brother and two nieces for five years. As he has employed a couple of local men to search any areas that the police might have missed, he is hoping for some sort of resolution to what has happened. With his girlfriend Annabel at his side, his hopes are slim, but he will stop at nothing to find his only remaining family. When he receives a call from his crew, saying that they have found his nieces alive in a cabin, Lucas rushes to see them, but what he finds leaves him in awe. 

The girls act like wild animals around the hospital that they are put in. Without any human contact for many years, they have learned to fend for themselves and will not trust anyone. When Lucas approaches the girls, they seem to believe that he is their father, but he is not willing to take on that role yet and reminds them that he is their uncle instead. Having called out the name Mama, Annabel believes that they are calling her their mother, but what she does not know is that there was something else in the cabin that was keeping them safe after all this time. As the family comes together in a new house lent to them by their doctor, there seems to be someone that has followed the girls and is continuing to take care of them. When Lucas is thrown down the stairs by an unseen force, Annabel is left alone in the house with the girls and their keeper who wants to hurt anyone that gets in the way of the children’s safety. 

Don’t let the title fool you, this is a movie that is based around a mother's love for her children. Without this, there is no way that anyone would survive the onslaught of the woman who has kept the little girls alive for all this time in the woods. There is also a secondary story about what the doctor is looking for, as he is doing research about who Mama could be, if she really exists, and that leads to his destruction. Watching how Annabel grows in this movie is the best part as she never wanted to be a mother and was thrust into the situation of having two little girls looking up to her. Although the youngest, Lilly is not willing to let go of her past, she still finds a place in her heart for Annabel, but will never allow her to get too close, since her Mama is the only parent she needs. Stay Scared.

---