Larsson clings to sublime moments of personal strife, associating them with contemporary surrealism, in this fractured and imperfect, but always stimulating, film. [Full review in Spanish]

| Nov 16, 2024

An absurdist, existential exercise on grief and regret, Mother, Couch benefits from an exemplary cast in this wearying, nightmarish scenario of familial dysfunction.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 7, 2024

I don't know if it all comes together, but everyone is so entrancing that you just want to keep watching to see what the hell is going to happen next.

| Aug 3, 2024

I'm not sure what's going on in this film, but it does grip you because the characters are well-defined and the acting is terrific.

| Aug 3, 2024

Always great to see Lara Flynn Boyle but this movie is a struggle.

| Original Score: 4/10 | Jul 30, 2024

McGregor’s performance and Bear’s score highlight what could have been original and worthwhile. I appreciate Niclas Larsson’s ambition in his debut feature, while Mother, Couch falls just short due to its lack of focus and emptiness in terms of themes.

| Original Score: D+ | Jul 25, 2024

From start to finish, it’s an original, wholly unpredictable experience. It’s also, by turns, gripping, provocative, head-scratching and disturbing, and is likely to divide viewers with its dreamlike ambitions and metaphorical musings.

| Jul 16, 2024

“Mother, Couch” is a delightful, sometimes hard-hitting family drama that will stay with you for a long time after you watch.

| Original Score: B+ | Jul 13, 2024

This is a goofy-ass movie, where making sense is perhaps the third most important thing to writer/director Niclas Larsson

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jul 12, 2024

Drenched in metaphor and allegory, the dark comedy Mother, Couch breathes the same air as Charlie Kaufman and Ari Aster, but director Niclas Larsson allows the metaphysical aspects of the movie to overwhelm the story’s true emotion.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 11, 2024

It’s... a joy to see McGregor far from franchises and playing out a strange version of middle-aged confusion, grief, and fear.

| Jul 10, 2024

McGregor is always a pleasure to watch, and Abraham, Burstyn, and Russell rank equally high. But without a solid screenplay—or rather, one that is not too clever by half—there’s not just not much point to what we see.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 10, 2024

Mother, Couch's strong lead performances from a stacked cast ultimately don't amount to much as the story takes a bewildering turn. The film evokes the theater of the absurd which might appeal to arthouse cinephiles.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 10, 2024

Mother, Couch captures something real about family and aging, but it remains unsatisfactory.

| Jul 9, 2024

Swedish writer-director Niclas Larsson creates characters and situations that feel very theatrical, generating a sense of intrigue about what's actually going on. And it's a staggering depiction of frazzled parent-child dynamics.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 9, 2024

Despite a frankly incredible cast of talent, Mother, Couch is bland, uninspiring rubbish for 99 percent of its thankfully brief running time.

| Jul 9, 2024

Burstyn’s character... is so utterly disagreeable that viewing the picture is a mostly anxious experience with not much of a reward at the end, which shifts to magic realist mode for lack of anywhere better to go.

| Jul 8, 2024

I’m sure someone will find solace in a film attempting to emulate the angst that occurs when you have unresolved issues with your terrible parents. But “Mother, Couch” seems just as unresolved and just as terrible.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | Jul 5, 2024

Strong performances and a compelling story save Mother, Couch from being completely absurd.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 5, 2024

[Larsson] wants us to fill in the blanks. How does this story relate to our life? Its power demands our participation.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jul 5, 2024