Ma

20191 hour 39 minsREnglish

HorroRated verdict

Recommended

2010sSlasherPsychologicalRevengeSchool Horror

Directed by: Tate Taylor
Written by: Scotty Landes
Produced by: Couper Samuelson, Jeanette Volturno, Ryan Turek, Cleta Elaine Ellington, Nate Smalley, Jason Blum, John Norris, Octavia Spencer, Robin Mulcahy Fisichella, Beatriz Sequeira, Phillip Dawe, Tate Taylor, Jennifer Scudder Trent, Helena Hawkes

Collections

Slashers Psychological Revenge Hidden Gems Teen Horror

Why it’s HorroRated

Ma is a film about Octavia Spencer giving a performance and the film is built to support that. The character of Sue Ann is played with enough ambiguity to keep things interesting and the high school setting gives the power dynamic real teeth. Not a perfect film but a memorable performance in a functional vehicle.

Synopsis

Octavia Spencer plays the sliding line of Ma's motivation with more nuance than the premise requires. Tate Taylor's direction is functional support for a performance that does more than the material demands. Not a perfect film but a memorable performance in a functional vehicle.