Juanma Bajo Ulloa’s The Dead Mother is a difficult film, for a variety of reasons. It presents a portrait of ugliness, both human and environmental, that’s hard to stomach; as a cinematic offering, its slow pacing also asks a lot from its audience, to stay in this squalidness for almost two hours. Ulloa and his brother Eduardo Bajo Ulloa write in a manner that highlights the surrealistic while still maintaining a disquieting realness, leading The Dead Mother down disturbing avenues that continually twists the audience’s perceptions of its characters.
The film follows anti-heroes Ismael (Karra Elejalde) and his girlfriend Maite (Lio), both of whom struggle with their own internal demons. Ismael is responsible for a prior home invasion that resulted in the death of a painter and leaving her daughter mentally disabled, a scene the audience sees out in bloody detail as the opening moment to the film. The main events of The Dead Mother take place years later, as Ismael and Maite hole up in their broken home and attempt to kidnap the girl Leire (Ana Alvarez) – now a beautiful, but childlike woman – and hold her for ransom.
Ulloa’s pacing is slow, methodical, and full of metaphor, from the spoken dialogue to the surrounding environs of the film’s scenery. Everything is broken and dismal, just as the characters are; Ismael is the specific focus, a guy who loves his sweets but lacks much empathy until he experiences the naivety of Leire, so child-like and innocent that he initially believes it must be an act. The film takes on fairy tale levels of distortion when it comes to its narrative, focusing less on the believability of its proceedings and more on studying the actions and consequences of its characters. This leads to some developments that stretch plausibility – like Ismael never getting caught by police for pretty risky actions – but also adds to the floaty fairy tale feeling.
The Dead Mother deals in some pretty dark details, too, covering sexual abuse of the mentally disabled and various disturbing on-screen deaths. The visceral nature of the film will certainly feel a bit off-putting to some, but it’s an entirely intentional decision that leads to a satisfying conclusion turning its back on our antagonists while at the same time asking the viewer to have a modicum of pity. Difficult, delicate, and distressing, The Dead Mother casts a pall over the viewer throughout its runtime, and a certain headspace is certainly recommended in order to fully appreciate the various textures of the Ulloa brothers’ palette.
Blu-ray
Radiance Films has released The Dead Mother on Blu-ray with a new 4K scan of the 35mm negative supervised by Ulloa and cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe. This release really captures the essence of the film’s griminess, showcasing the religious artifacts, destroyed Gothic house, and overall dingy aesthetic very well. Grain is kept medium-bodied but retains a nice filmic quality. Details are quite strong as evidenced by various clothing and wallpaper textures. Also impressive are black levels, which manage depth without suffering from any crush. Overall, this Radiance transfer is impressive and does a great service to The Dead Mother.
Audio is presented with an LPCM 2.0 stereo Spanish track with default English subtitles, which sounds strong and highlights the great soundtrack by Bingen Mendizabel in the mix.
Extras include a new audio commentary in Spanish by Juanma Bajo Ulloa discussing the film’s production and its themes throughout. A previously released making of featurette is also included and runs about 40 minutes. A new 4K restoration of Bajo Ulloa’s short film “Victor’s Kingdom” (“El reino de Victor”) is also included and features a very consistent transfer that matches The Dead Mother‘s aesthetic. Other features include a trailer and gallery.
This release also comes with an essay booklet featuring prior writing from both Bajo Ulloa brothers and Nacho Vigalondo, as well as a new essay by Dr. Xavier Aldana Reyes about the film’s Gothic elements and fairy tale symbolism. This Blu-ray also includes a CD soundtrack featuring Mendizabel’s score.
Extra Features
- NEW 4K restoration of the film supervised and approved by director Juanma Bajo Ulloa
- Uncompressed stereo 2.0 audio
- NEW Audio commentary by Bajo Ulloa
- The Story of La Madre Muerta, a documentary on the making of the film featuring behind-the-scenes images and interviews with the cast and crew (1080p; 38:19)
- Victor’s Kingdom – Goya Award-winning short film by Ulloa, restored in 4K (1080p; 38:05)
- Gallery of behind-the-scenes and promotional imagery (chapter breaks; 0:39)
- Trailer (1080p; 3:22)
- NEW Reversible sleeve featuring original and commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
- NEW Limited edition booklet featuring writing on the film by Xavier Aldana Reyes, author of Spanish Gothic: National Identity, Collaboration and Cultural Adaptation, and newly translated archival writing by Juanma Bajo Ulloa, co-writer Eduardo Bajo Ulloa and an appreciation by Nacho Vigalondo
- NEW Limited edition soundtrack CD featuring Bingen Mendizábal’s sumptuous score
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of markings
Verdict
The Dead Mother is a harrowing story with slight bits of humor thrown in, and so it should appeal to audiences looking for a bleak but metaphorically rich viewing experience. This Blu-ray from Radiance Films is an excellent representation of the film and includes a great deal of extras along with supplemental physical material.
