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Released theatrically in Europe in March 2024,Mothers' Instinctis a star-studdedremake of the 2018 French psychological thrillerof the same name. Set in suburban America in 1960, the story traces the complicated relationship between Alice (Jessica Chastain) and Celine (Anne Hathaway), two neighbors raising adolescent sons with traditional American values. When a devastating tragedy claims the life of one of the boys, a disturbingly envious revenge campaign ensues between the two women that ends in unthinkable horror.
The main intrigue ofMother’s Instinctrevolves around Celine’s bold attempt to replace her dead son with Alice’s, going to manipulative lengths to ensure success. The film’s final scene features an incredibly creepy costume detail cementing Celine’s plan to assume Alice’s motherhood, which may go unnoticed by viewers watching the movie for the first time. The ending ofMother’s Instinctis so spine-tingling that it deserves a more detailed breakdown.
Mothers' Instinct
What Is Mother’s Instinct About?
Directed by Benoit Delhomme in his feature film debut,Mother’s Instinctis a remake of the 2018 French film of the same name. The plot also takes cues from the 2012 novelMother’s Instinctby Barbara Abel. The story occurs in an unnamed American suburb in 1960 (filmed in New Jersey). Alice (Chastain) and Celine (Hathaway) are friendly next-door neighbors with sons of a similar age. Alice has a son named Theo (Eamon O’Connell) and Celine has a son named Max (Baylen D. Bielitz).
The inciting event ofthe underrated psychological thrilleroccurs after Celine throws a surprise birthday party for Alice. Following the party, Max becomes ill and is excused from school to rest and recover at home. While at home, Max tries to hang a birdhouse on a balcony. Alice sees the boy about to fall and warns Celine.When both fail to reach Max in time, the boy plummets to his tragic demise.Following Max’s death, Alice and Celine grow apart and remain distant. However, Celine deliberately becomes closer to Theo and forms a friendship with the boy.
During Max’s funeral, Theo spots one of his toys in Max’s coffin and throws a tantrum. Celine takes Theo away to an undisclosed location for one month and when they return, Celine and Alice make up. Celine and Theo also become closer, prompting Theo to invite Celine to his birthday party, much to Alice’s chagrin. Celine attends the successful birthday and temporarily alleviates Alice’s concerns. Alas, what transpires next sets up the jaw-dropping finale ofMother’s Instinct.
The Ending of Mother’s Instinct Explained
Following Theo’s birthday party, his grandmother Jean (Caroline Lagerfelt) suddenly falls and dies of a heart attack. Jean is the mother of Simon (Anders Danielsen Lie), Theo’s father, and Alice’s husband. During Jean’s autopsy, it was revealed that her bloodstream had zero traces of the heart medication she was routinely taking.The stunning discovery makes Alice believe Celine replaced Jean’s heart medication with a fake drug.Although she cannot prove her suspicions, Alice becomes more convinced of Celine’s guilt when Theo has an allergic reaction at Celine’s home.
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Upon suspecting that Celine deliberately fed Theo food he was allergic to,Alice snoops around her neighbor’s apartment for incriminating evidence. Her search is interrupted by Celine, who arrives and demands Alice to vacate the premises. Alice and Simon argue about leaving town to get away from Celine, prompting Theo to threaten suicide over their fight. As Alice and Simon make up,Celine murders her husbandDamian (Josh Charles) in the house next door. Celine smothers Damian with chloroform and fatally cuts his wrists to make it appear as if he had taken his own life.
Following the faux suicide, an emotionally ruined Celine is invited to stay with Simon, Celine, and Theo.As Alice gathers Celine’s belongings from her house, Celine drugs Simon and Theo in her absence. Alice arrives back home and discovers her husband and son passed out. A scuffle ensues, with Alice gaining the upper hand. Alas, Celine outmuscles Alice and drugs her like she did to Simon and Theo. While Alice and Simon lie unconscious,Celine severs the gas lineto the boiler and orchestrates a housefire.As Alice and Simon go up in flames, Celine adopts Theo as her son and gets away with her murderous manipulation.
The Creepy Detail Tying Mother’s Instinct Together
In keeping with the accurate period detail of the 1960s, Alice sports stylish outfits throughout the film. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice how Alice sports round button earrings that match her colorful costume throughout the movie. However, in the hair-raising final moments,Celine is shown wearing Alice’s trademark circular earrings. The creepy costume details inthe bleak thriller’s endingare easy to overlook when watching the film for the first time. Far from mere shock value, the earrings complete Celine’s calculated transformation.
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Yet, the eerie detail underscores Celine’s deliberate attempt to steal Alice’s son out of revenge for losing Max, for which she blamed Alice all along. By wearing Alice’s earrings inMother Instinct’s shocking final scene, Celine completes her disturbing transition to become Theo’s de facto mother. After failing to save Max from death, Celine goes to murderous lengths to usurp Alice’s identity and remain a mother whose instincts have been criminally corrupted. Beyond Max’s death, the true horror is imagining what will become of Theo under Celine’s parentage.
