Maggie and her mother just moved to Ohio and signed to a high school there. At the school she befriend Andy, Haley, Chazz, and Darrell. One day they planned to drink but none of them eligible to buy alcohol. They managed to ask for Sue Ann‘s help, to buy a box of alcohol. However Sue Ann, who worked at veterinary clinic, anonymously reported the gang, ruined their activity. On the next day, Sue Ann helped the teenagers to get alcohol again, subsequently invited them to her basement, letting them have a proper party. Later Sue Ann asked the teenagers to call her Ma, to be more intimate. Ma seemed to be a kind woman, let the gang go home after they are really safe to drive, and popular among the students in Maggie’s school – that’s why we would see other students were having party at Ma’s house too. However, Ma became too engaged with Maggie’s gang and started to annoy them and she suddenly became a mysterious woman. Realized that Ma acted fishy and kept looking for attention, Maggie started to keep a distance with her. Ma, on the other hand, silently planned a revenge on what happened to her in the past.
Octavia Spencer’s act is the only attractive thing in this movie. We would like to see her became a kind but mysterious woman, and wonder what kind of thrill she would bring finally. Ma has a potential to deliver a fresh thriller, but wasn’t developed special enough, nor having a strong motive to back at the committed revenge (as I said before, Ma was looking for a revenge). I could say that its story develops too slow and doesn’t have clear borders between its stages. Inline with the story at the present, this movie also tells what happened to Sue Ann “Ma” during her school age. The flashback is told gradually, alternating with the scenes which explore Ma’s character in the present. At the final recount, the movie just revealed the clear motive about why Sue Ann observed Maggie’s friends too much – related to a bullying act done by the parents of the gang. Finally this movie is trying to deliver another “stop bullying” message, but it failed to make the audience feel sorry to the victim (Ma, in this case) because it targeted the actually not guilty group (Maggie and her friends).
This movie success enough in setting its thrilling story through Ma’s fishy personality. However, talking about a thriller movie, the protagonists here seemed never to be at a really dangerous situation. It might show a sadistic gore scene, but it didn’t. It revealed Ma’s obsession and dark side which she put secretly with her “Don’t go upstairs” rule, but is elaborated with less thrill. What makes me disappointed the most is the final rescue scene which seemed not really perilous and was resolved in a too simple way. For me, it’s just like a scene of escaping a kid from a burned tent. The key role that involved in the rescue is the “surprise character” which also got little character development. The movie also left some plot holes, regarding Ma’s true health condition (is it true or is she just lied?) and what really happened to our “surprise character”.
Overall this thriller movie is not an impressive one. Hence my score for this movie is only 5 of 10, after considering its message.
Notes of Hobbies 