It would be oversimplifying his filmography to say that Darren Aronofsky has an “M.O.” as a director, but suffice it to say that he likes to explore the seamy underbellies of generally beloved things. With his upcoming Mother!, he is poised to do for domesticity what he did for ballet (Black Swan) and sport (The Wrestler) by giving his audience a peek behind the proverbial curtain.
Paramount Pictures unveiled the first teaser for the psychological thriller earlier on Monday and the 30-second spot starts off with lead actress Jennifer Lawrence sauntering around an idyllic home, as some pretty disturbing audio plays in the background. Eventually, all of the civility is shattered, as the final 10 seconds or so showcase a flurry of nightmarish images, including an exploding light bulb, an insect writhing in pain, and a man being engulfed in flame.
Since the teaser itself is not all that revealing, here is the quick-and-dirty synopsis (although it does not tell us all that much, either): “A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests come to their home.”
As you can see, details are still scarce, but the creepy poster below should give you a pretty decent idea of what this film is about.
For now, you have to chew on that and the short spot above in lieu of a lengthy, “official” synopsis from Paramount. “What is up with the delay,” you ask? Well, the film is relying on suspense to put butts in theater seats, so the decision to keep everyone waiting is probably very deliberate. While we do hate when these sorts of thrillers give away the farm before premiere day, we also wish we knew a bit more about this one, especially given the Oscar bonafides of its star-studded cast.
Speaking of that cast, Lawrence will be joined on screen by Ed Harris, Kristen Wiig, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Javier Bardem. In addition to being behind the camera, Aronofsky wrote the screenplay for the film. The helmer is no stranger to double duty, as he has scribed and shot several films, including Noah and Requiem for a Dream.
Mother! is set to hit theaters on September 15.
Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.
https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911
YouTube videos could soon look better without eating quite so much data, right? Thankfully, the platform plans to introduce a new video format called AV2 on its web player in early 2027, promising more efficient streaming and potentially fewer playback hiccups on slower internet connections. The big headline is a roughly 30% improvement in compression efficiency over AV1, YouTube's existing video format. That doesn't guarantee every video will use 30% less data, but it could make streaming a little easier on both internet connections and data allowances.
What is AV2, and why should viewers care?
YouTube is changing how its Home page works, giving viewers more control over what shows up there and making some of the app’s most-used sections easier to reach. Custom Feeds are now replacing the existing topic chips for eligible users, while YouTube is also testing a redesigned top bar on mobile that moves Subscriptions closer to the Home feed.
YouTube first started experimenting with Custom Feeds earlier this year, letting you type out what you wanted to watch and turning that request into its own stream of recommendations. Now, the feature is starting to look less like a side experiment and more like something YouTube actually wants people to use as part of their everyday Home page.