Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant Review
Watching Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant, it soon becomes clear that first and foremost on the minds of filmmaking duo Thunderlips (Jordan Mark Windsor and Sean Wallace) are the… mechanics of the situation. As such, this review is about to leave PG territory.
Mary (Hannah Lynch) has little going on in her life but an overbearing mother (Yvette Parsons) and an addiction to extra-terrestrial pornography. So when she hears her neighbour Boo (Arlo Green), who was the result of his mother’s (Jackie van Beek) alien abduction, has a deformed penis he doesn’t mind showing her, she is very intrigued. Unfortunately, something then happens involving a lot of flashing lights and an eruption of unusual liquid. Although they are across the room from each other at the time, Mary finds herself ‘Alien Pregnant’.
She does not want to be, and does her level best to get whatever’s growing rapidly inside her out of her – Boo, and both of their mums come along for the ride, with varying degree of reluctance and usefulness. The thing inside Mary will not be gotten rid of easily, however, and soon this motley crew are in an even stranger predicament.
The production design is the real star of Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant. Boo’s tentacled penis is indeed a fascinating thing, and that proves just the tip of the iceberg for the array of mushy, gooey, slithering, electrified special effects that populate this movie. Pregnancy as body horror has a long cinematic history, from Rosemary’s Baby, through Alien, and up to more recent films like Titaneand The First Omen. That each new part of Mary’s bizarre journey is still intriguing despite the familiar territory is no mean feat.
Nevertheless, when it comes to the more human elements, the film is never so engaging; while this is a comedy above all, the characters could still have done with some fleshing out. Mary’s depression and aimlessness is wafted at rather than explored, which would probably have made her eventual arc more rewarding. And especially in the first twenty minutes or so, her mother’s overbearingness is so extreme that it comes across just irritating, rather than funny irritating. Overall, the movie’s laughs rely far too much on the gross out stuff and the juxtaposition of the deadpan Kiwi humour with the wild situation, and not enough on the characters. As a result, despite the very specific circumstances with which it deals, the comedy can feel a bit generic.
Having said that, Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant does achieve some things you might not expect from such a silly movie, like presenting a surprisingly acute portrait of medical misogyny and how frustrating it is to not feel heard by the doctor you’ve turned to in a moment of real vulnerability. There was also a big potential pitfall with the whole direction of the plot which the film not just sidesteps, but metaphorically slaps in the face with a cathartic, defiant final scene.
So a mixed bag then, but inarguably quite an experience.
★★★
Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant is on digital platforms 2 November
