Alice and Celine live a traditional lifestyle with successful husbands and sons of the same age. Life’s perfect harmony is suddenly shattered after a tragic accident. Guilt, suspicion and paranoia combine to unravel their sisterly bond.

A remake of a Belgian movie, ‘Mothers’ Instinct’ is a psychological thriller about two mothers who find themselves distrusting each other after the tragic death of one of their sons. It tells the story of best friends Alice (Jessica Chastain) and Celine (Anne Hathaway), two suburban housewives in the 1960s who live next door to one another. They spend a lot of time together, alongside their husbands (Josh Charles, Anders Danielsen Lie), and we first meet them at a surprise party that Alice has thrown for Celine. While the adults drink, their two young boys Theo & Max play with each other. Shortly after, tragedy strikes.

This tragedy causes a significant rift in the friendship between Alice and Celine, with both woman starting to distrust one another, particularly as Alice suspects Celine of malicious intent in terms of her interactions with her son after her own sons death. The movie keeps you guessing as to the characters true motives, while the plot escalates and heads towards a conclusion that will reveal the truth. It isn’t the most original story but what elevates it is the calibre of its leading actresses and a pacy runtime that ensures it never outstays its welcome. Josh Charles and Anders Danielsen Lie aren’t given much to work with, besides being stereotypical Don Draper-esque uncaring 60s men, but this movie is all about Chastain and Hathaway and how they dance around each other.

I quite liked ‘Mothers’ Instinct’, mainly for the performances, but also for the pulpy ‘Fatal Attraction’ stylings of the plot. It’s not going to win any awards but it’s good to see Chastain and Hathaway in frothy roles that allow them to show their darker sides.

Rating: 3/5

Directed By: Benoît Delhomme

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Josh Charles, Anders Danielsen Lie and Caroline Lagerfelt

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt13397574/