Review by John Delia
Very, very VERY scary, the film M.O.M. Mothers of Monsters comes to VOD after a short theatrical run. The drama involves what America has extreme concerns about, the child that doesn’t fit in with others and has violent tendencies. Although the film is fictional, it does somewhat emulate those responsible for some of the most diabolical school shootings in America. If you would like to go into the world of Jacob and Abby, then search out this film now playing at select theaters and Video on Demand.
Just 16 years old, Jacob Bell (Bailey Edwards) has an attitude that’s odd and cruel at times. He keeps himself in his room after returning home from school. It’s decorated in a violent tone and his closet has deadly weapons in it. As a boy he grew up being photographed by his now single mom Abby (Melinda Page Hamilton) and she has every one of the films on her computer. A sometimes cruel boy while very young, Abby feels she has to keep a video record to see if he is developing like her brother Jerry who lived a psychologically unbalanced life. She is also concerned that the boy may do something violent at school.
The two are constantly at odds with each other and even though Jacob denies any need to hurt others, she’s still at the point of being frightened for her own life. The film goes on from there as Jacob and Abby become completely unhinged. Director and writer Tucia Lyman paints a very dim picture of the two people as they tear at each other looking for answers to their future. Lyman sets up each scene and set to resemble what most people may think Jacob’s room, friends, attitude and other postures of a child “gone bad†would look like. It gets scary at times bringing nightmares of what school shooters must have been like and how they accumulated their bedroom decorations and guns to do what they did. She shows the sadness that develops between the two main characters and the downward spiral it is taking.
Showing a lot of wear on Abby, Melinda Page Hamilton gives her audience a harrowing experience as a mother in desperate need to get help for her son, but knowing full well it’s beyond that point. Abby much fend for herself by setting up more cameras throughout the house and even on her own body for what she believes may find some answers or even be proof of harm that may be done to her. It’s a very good believable performance that will make you shudder at what she goes through.
As the misguided young boy Jacob, Bailey Edwards puts on a very scary show. Jacob has been at odds with his mother for some time and with her snooping and taking away privileges things are getting worse to the point of his acting out beyond anything he’s done before. Edwards does a terrific job of depicting the emotional pain that some of the school shooters must have gone through leading up to their shocking decisions. He reaches into the viewer’s mind pulling at their imaginations with images that could easily have been those of a real shooter.
M.O.M. Mothers of Monsters has not been rated by the MPAA or the TV Bureau, but contains violence, torture, self-maiming, imprisonment and language. The film should be watched by all parents to understand the symptoms and avoiding problems within the household unit. At the end of the film there is this crisis phone number from the Institute of Violence, Abuse and Trauma 1-858-527-1860. “I hope it will contribute to the national debate surrounding mental health stigma and gun violence in America.” Tucia Lyman, writer and director.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A taut drama that becomes very unsettling as it unfolds. (4 out of 5 Stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Bailey Edwards, Melinda Page Hamilton, Edward Asner, Julian de la Celle, Janet Ulrich Brooks
Directed and written by: Tucia Lyman
Genre: Thriller, Drama
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, contains violence, disturbing images, torture, self-maiming, imprisonment, language
Running Time: 1 hr. 36 min.
Opening Date: March 13, 2020
Released in: Theaters, VOD, Cable, Digital