Dario Argento
La Terza Madre

And here your BeatBoy is back (I know it's all very self-celebratory, but what's a better way to start again?)! And who knows for how long... Well, the reason why he's emerging in the ranks of DeBaser (or to stay on the self-celebratory theme... "before you!"), is the brand new film from the Master of Suspense (Italian) Dario Argento: "The Mother of Tears". And he's entrusted me, his alter ego, to craft the incipit for this new (work) review of his. The film is fresh off the press, released just yesterday... on October 31, 2007, the night of Halloween.

Your BeatBoy was supposed to be at a party last night (even though he's not a fan of such foreign and especially nonsensical celebrations like Halloween), a party where six guys and half a dozen Girls would attend (a good reason to go, don't you think?). So your beloved one, excited about the evening awaited, stuffs a CD of Antonius Rex in his pockets (excellent for the evening's ambiance) and runs to a Friend's house. Upon arrival, he asks this Girl to make him up like Brandon Lee's Crow; she not only does a great makeup job, but creates on your dear one's face something that resembles Peter Gabriel from the early Genesis more than the Crow, which he finds just as wonderful. So far, so perfect. At a certain point, BeatBoy (for DeBaser friends, simply Beat), learns from a Friend that due to weather conditions and "time" issues, he and his closest Friends cannot attend the said party. No worries! Your "idol" (so to speak, eh!) always has a solution up his sleeve (so to speak, eh!) and proposes to his great Friends to go see the new Dario Argento film. Initially, some are a bit skeptical, but since there was nothing better to do, the decision is made to see "The Mother of Tears." You can never imagine the happiness of your Beat; as you know, he has been a huge Dario fan since the age of six, so he was eager to see the new work of one of his most cherished childhood idols. Beat and his dear Friends (but more him) expected a long line at the box office, but fortunately for them, there were very few people (was it because of the derby? Or did people prefer roaming Rome making trouble with "trick or treat?"). At this point, I hand over to your Beat, thanks for the memorable attention (if you made it this far reading!).

Alright, here I am! Hi, how's it going?

I will be as brief as possible since that idiot of my alter ego wrote a tome instead of a light-hearted and warm introduction for my return to DeBaser, and especially because I don’t want to spoil the whole Film for you, as it would take away the thrill of going to see it yourself. My only goal is to arouse your curiosity in seeing this new effort by Dario (because I think this Film deserves to be seen!) and then let you make all kinds of comments.

The story itself is very original and connects perfectly with the two previous chapters of the trilogy: "Suspiria" (1977) and "Inferno" (1980). I want to emphasize that if you haven't seen the previous two Films (which I highly doubt about "Suspiria," given that it's the classic of classics from the Roman Director), don't think that once you're in front of the screen, you won't understand a thing about the plot, because the only common thread is the "Three Mothers," and the central element is Mater Lacrimarum (the very Third Mother), Mater Suspirorum and Mater Tenebrarum are mentioned two or three times throughout the film. So, when the lights in the theater go down, you will not be oblivious to anything except your deepest anxieties and fears... Closing this "alert" parenthesis, I would like to go back to the film's physiognomy, namely the story (plot), in which as it is reported, it will be sprinkled with my comments, judgments, and sensations during the Film's viewing:

"Viterbo (Rome); An ancient urn chained to a coffin is accidentally found and unearthed by workers on a road bordering the Viterbo cemetery. The urn contains an ancient tunic and some items belonging to Mater Lacrimarum (Moran Atias), the Third Mother. The sole survivor of the Three Mothers, the three powerful witches who have spread terror and death since time immemorial, Mater Lacrimarum has been hiding in Rome for centuries." - In my opinion, a somewhat predictable beginning, but already from those first exhumation scenes, you can feel a strong aroma of tragedy and terror that will envelop you (and enveloped me) in the minutes to come. -

"Her awakening triggers a series of mysterious and horrific events: Evil returns to overshadow the city.
Sarah Mandy (Asia Argento), a young restorer and collaborator, as well as partner, of Michael Pierce (Adam James), curator of the Rome Museum of Ancient Art, gets involved in the increasingly frenzied escalation of violence." - From here begins the avalanche of bad sensations, situations of malaise due to one of our deepest and most sought-after sensations: helplessness! The only things you can do are close your eyes, leave the room, or as a last resort, start laughing, as a friend of mine did a couple of seats down. I, for instance, wanted to leave the room... I swear! and it never happened to me before to feel such a need with a Dario film, I give you my word that the scene where Sarah's collaborator is killed after accidentally uttering ancient phrases is an unimaginable suffering... a suffering of the character handed over to us viewers in the form of inner torment, not so much for the blood and guts shown without any sense of decency, but for the strong aroma I mentioned earlier, which in this scene is at its peak! But there is also room for small-great ingenuity (otherwise it wouldn't be a Dario film!) such as bringing to modern times the possibility of a second fall of Rome, naturally due to the awakening of the Mother of Tears (a brilliant idea that makes the Film not just a simple Horror but a film that intelligently combines Action and Science Fiction). -

"Sarah tries to escape but cannot, it is now the Third Mother seeking her, Sarah does not know that her mother Elisa Mandy (Daria Nicolodi) was a powerful white witch brutally killed by Mater Suspiriorum, the witch of Freiburg." - Here, this is the only connection with the previous chapters (a direct-indirect link with "Suspiria"), along with the finding of the book "The Three Mothers" written by Varelli (the man who built the residences for the Three Mothers), which is also found in "Inferno" -

My "step-by-step account" of the Plot stops here. I think I have said all there was and that I had to say; and so it's time for me to draw my conclusions: as already stated, it is a film that absolutely must be seen, you will surely not be disappointed... I honestly expected much worse (and that goes for those who are not fans of Dario's Art and Horror in general), while it should be thoroughly enjoyed by those who, like me, have loved the Roman Director's cinematic Art until today (albeit with ups and downs). Other interesting aspects of the film (and I think that here someone might hold it against me) are the nude scenes (particularly those of Moran Atias, the Israeli model and actress who plays Mater Lacrimarum) and the lesbian scenes (another peculiarity in Dario's Cinema). Before saying goodbye, I want to point out a fact: in some scenes of "The Mother of Tears," I noticed a blurred resemblance to the film "La Casa 4 - Witchcraft," a good horror forgotten by an equally unknown Fabrizio Laurenti, starring Linda Blair and David Hasselhoff (the known Mitch from "Baywatch"). Perhaps it is just one of the many sensations stirred by the strong impact that Dario Argento's new film had on me!

I hope I haven’t been as tedious as I was meticulous in the length of the text...

Until next time, from your beloved BeatBoy!!!