Featured Image Credit: Magnolia Pictures
Topics: Netflix, TV and Film
Simon Catling
It's not all been about Stranger Things on Netflix this weekend – Irish horror film You Are Not My Mother has been stunning viewers since it hit the streaming platform on May 28.
Originally premiering at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, the Irish psychological horror takes place in a North Dublin housing estate, and sees the mother of Char, the main protagonist, going missing.
However, when she returns with a drastically changed personality, Char is determined to uncover the truth of her disappearance and unearth the dark secrets of her family.
Directed by Irish director Katie Nolan, it stars up and coming actor Hazel Doupe, who made her critical breakthrough in the 2018 film Float Like A Butterfly, directed by Carmel Winters.
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Doupe won praise for her portrayal as an Irish traveller obsessed with boxing great Muhammad Ali in that film, but her role here arguably even surpasses that – with the film as a whole getting widely praised on social media.
"Just watched the utterly incredible Irish #horror film, You Are Not My Mother" wrote one Twitter user.
"Dark, genuinely scary and totally unique. I just loved it."
Vodzilla Mag, meanwhile, called it 'an atmospheric, chilling tale', while another user wrote: "Watched @caatdolan
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You are not my mother on Netflix.
"Slow burning kitchen-sink horror, genuinely creepy moments that last and strong performances from all the cast.
"Clever shot selection/construction ensure the fx get max bang for budget.
"Women lead the pack in horror filmmaking."
A fourth user commented: "'You are not my Mother' is a cracking Irish horror. Its fairies and changelings construct a dark, devastating Ireland."
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Meanwhile, the director herself took to Twitter on the day it came out, to celebrate its launch on Netflix, writing: "Happy #YouAreNotMyMother day on Netflix!
"We made this movie for next to nothing so never thought the movie would be seen this widely tbh. It’s a great movie to watch in between Stranger Things eps tbh."
The audience reaction tallies with the response it's had from film critics over the past few months. Variety wrote of the film: "A coolly unsettling but also deep-feeling horror film, one that keeps the ordinary and the extraordinary in tense, tetchy balance throughout."
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The Radio Times added: "Dolan's film distinguishes itself with its memorably creepy blend of uncanny elements and kitchen-sink realism."
The Culture Mix, meanwhile, said: "You Are Not My Mother has a mystery that's very easy to solve, but this well-acted horror movie adeptly maintains suspense in a story influenced by Irish folklore."
The reviews aggregator site has the film sitting pretty with an average rating of 88%.
So, if you need a break from bingeing Stranger Things and don't mind getting a little weirded out, You're Not My Mother could be for you.