Lost in all the delirious chatter about mother!’s religious and ecological metaphors; unsettling graphic violence; and Lynchian narrative fuckery is the possibility that writer/director Darren Aronofsky’s studio-backed flop is actually a star-studded, multi-million-dollar act of contrition for being an obsessive asshole. Which is to say, a true artist. Yes, Jennifer Lawrence gets the poster, the press, the prestige—but Javier Bardem is the main character here, playing Aronofsky as a frustrated also-ran of a poet who confines himself and his wife to a remote countryside fixer-upper in pursuit of inspiration. The creepy estate with the dusty rooms and bleeding floors soon plays host to strange visitors, a baby, and the apocalypse—all of which must be survived by a harried wife who ranks at least third on her husband’s list of affections. Mother! is as subjective, insightful, and withering an examination of the creative mind as you’re likely to see. Apology accepted.