Jessica Chastain Plays Mother and Monster in 'Other Mommy' — SkimNews
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- "Other Mommy" is a Rob Savage-directed Universal Pictures horror adapted from Josh Malerman's 2024 novel "Incidents Around the House," now playing in theaters
- Jessica Chastain plays dual roles as disconnected mother Ursula and the shape-shifting entity Other Mommy, with the creature's body contortions compared to "AI-slop, dreamcore videos" and her eyes projecting "sorrow, fear, and rage"
- Arabella Olivia Clark stars as eight-year-old Bela, whose cautious curiosity toward the entity gives Other Mommy an opening to offer the sense of control the adults deny her
- Jay Duplass plays father Russ, with the review noting his mumblecore presence feels "as though he's wandered onto the wrong set" before delivering an unexpectedly heartbreaking dance scene
- Nathan Elston's screenplay substantially departs from Malerman's novel in its ending, having Ursula acknowledge "a more shameful truth" about parental love rather than treating it as uncomplicated defense
- Dichen Lachman appears as paranormal investigator Lois Anthony, delivering the solemn declaration "we wish to be heard by the entity known as Other Mommy" — what the review calls "an exquisitely goofy piece of genre nonsense"
- The review characterizes the film overall as "frequently ridiculous, rarely frightening, and strangely sad," with its visual aesthetic compared to "Skinamarink by way of 'The Backrooms'" while crediting Savage's evolution from lo-fi pandemic hit "Host" to this studio-backed spectacle
Why it matters: Savage's leap from pandemic-era lo-fi 'Host' to this technically extravagant Universal release positions him as a director scaling toward studio spectacle, with Chastain's dual turn as the anchor against the visual excess. The screenplay's choice to complicate maternal love rather than simply defend it gives the film its most substantive moment.
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