Mother, May I? Brings Its Slow-Burning Psychosexual Horror to Amazon Prime Video
A quietly unsettling psychological thriller built around grief, trauma and a deeply complicated relationship is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Mother, May I?, starring Kyle Gallner and Holland Roden, follows a couple whose stay at the home of a recently deceased mother takes an increasingly disturbing turn.
Gallner, known for Strange Darling, plays Emmett, while Teen Wolf star Roden plays his fiancée, Anya. The film was written and directed by Laurence Vannicelli and runs for 1 hour and 39 minutes.
A mother’s death opens old wounds
After Emmett’s mother dies, he travels with Anya to her house. The visit forces him to confront painful memories and the unresolved trauma surrounding their relationship.
Things become far more disturbing when Anya begins behaving like Emmett’s deceased mother.
At first, it is unclear whether Anya is deliberately taking on the role as part of an attempt to help Emmett process his trauma, or whether something supernatural has entered the picture. That uncertainty becomes central to the film as Emmett struggles to determine what is real and what is not.
The premise puts the couple’s relationship under intense pressure while bringing Emmett’s unresolved past directly into the present. The film has been described as a psychological thriller that explores shifting power dynamics and the gap between who people believe they are and who they pretend to be.
Critics praised the performances
Mother, May I? earned strong notices from a number of critics, particularly for the performances by Gallner and Roden.
Rotten Tomatoes currently lists the film at 83% from critics, based on 18 reviews.
The Los Angeles Times described it as a handsome ghost story centered on a man who remained haunted by his mother even while she was alive.
The Guardian was more reserved about the final act, arguing that Vannicelli does not completely bring everything together by the end. Even so, the publication highlighted the filmmaking craft and praised the chemistry between its two lead performers.
Cultured Vultures called the performances by Gallner and Roden thoughtful and sensitive, describing the film as a must-watch. Rotten Tomatoes’ collection of top critic reviews also records that assessment.
Bloody Disgusting similarly singled out the two leads, praising the way they handle the film’s slow-burning tension and psychosexual themes. The review described Mother, May I? as a simmering story filled with unsettling moments and striking visuals.
Paste Magazine also praised the film’s acting, emphasizing the vulnerability and emotional pain at the heart of the performances.
The positive response was not limited to the central cast. Dark Sky Films’ official page for the movie highlights reviews praising Roden’s performance and the film’s sensitive treatment of trauma and repression.
Kyle Gallner on what drew him to the film
Gallner has previously appeared in Dinner in America and Smile. Speaking to Filmhounds Magazine, he explained why Vannicelli’s project appealed to him.
For Gallner, one of the most intriguing aspects was the way the supernatural premise was tied to Emmett’s psychological trauma.
He explained that the story places Emmett in a situation where his girlfriend begins behaving like his mother, forcing him to confront experiences from his past while leaving him, and the audience, uncertain about what is actually happening.
The relationship between Emmett and Anya also attracted him because of where the couple finds themselves in their lives. They have been together for a long time, and the easy excitement of their relationship has begun to give way to more serious questions about their future.
Marriage, children and the direction of their relationship all become part of that tension.
Then Emmett has to deal with his mother’s death, only to find himself confronting her again through Anya. Gallner described the combination of those circumstances as a particularly unusual situation for a character to navigate.
He also pointed to the psychological exercises surrounding Anya’s character as another reason the role offered so much to explore. As Emmett is forced to examine who he is and deal with the issues Anya brings to the surface, the film gives Gallner plenty of room to delve into the character’s troubled psychology.
A psychological thriller with supernatural elements
Directed by Laurence Vannicelli, Mother, May I? uses its supernatural premise to explore trauma, grief and the strain placed on a long-term relationship.
The story deliberately leaves room for uncertainty. Anya’s transformation raises the possibility of possession, but the film is equally interested in the psychological consequences of Emmett being forced to confront memories and emotions he has spent years avoiding.
The movie premiered at Fantasy Filmfest in April 2023 before receiving a limited theatrical release on July 21, 2023.
Its central mystery remains deliberately unsettling: is Emmett truly facing the spirit of his dead mother, or is something else happening between him and Anya?
For viewers looking for a slower, character-driven horror film built around psychological tension rather than straightforward scares, Mother, May I? offers a dark and intimate take on grief, relationships and unresolved trauma.
Mother, May I? is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.