There is a dreaded phrase in Hollywood. One that strikes fear in the hearts of movie lovers and studio heads alike, united in their fear of these two little words: passion project.

“Passion project” is code for an unsellable, unwatchable director’s fantasy film, and they have a reputation for bankrupting directors and movie studios alike. In the very bottom of this deep cesspool of terrible passion projects manufactured by directors with too little talent and too much money, is where recently released “Mother!” lies.

“Mother!” is the fever dream of famed director Darren Aronovsky (best known for Black Swan and Requiem for a Dream), starring famed Jennifer Lawrence (best known for every movie she’s ever released) in a surprising casting decision, as the titular role of Mother.

The plot, at its simplest level, follows the story of Mother, as she attempts to build a life for herself and her husband, “Him” or “the poet” (played by Javier Bardem), in their beautifully restored home.

At the beginning, this movie admittedly had a lot of potential. The idyllic introduction shots of their warm home and the great performances of Lawrence and Bardem truly pull the viewer into their peaceful life, making it all the more intriguing as the flaws beneath the seemingly perfect surface are slowly revealed.

In particular, the relationship between Bardem and Lawrence is especially believable, as they perfectly portray their parts of the disinterested but kindly older husband and the young, eager to please, wife.

It is with the introduction of the characters of the Man and the Woman that the first tiny cracks in their relationship become massive fault lines, as Mother desperately tries to maintain order in the wake of these new residents’ arrival.

It is Michelle Pfeiffer’s brilliant portrayal of the acerbic, at times borderline psychotic, Woman, that stands out as the most memorable performance of the movie. Unfortunately, the hard work of all of these renowned actors is not enough to redeem “Mother!,” which begins its rapid descent into madness with all the grace of a chicken with its head cut off.

The subtle, dreamlike, symbolic moments from early on in the film morph into heavy-handed allegories. I love demented biblical references as much as the next Catholic girl, but there is a point where it has to end.

The two sons of the Man (Adam) and the Woman (Eve) show up and the oldest kills the youngest (referencing Cain and Abel). The funeral attendees destroy Mother’s perfect home and are

eventually forced out. Mother gets pregnant in the wake of this disaster, and life is again peaceful but only to have the incident repeat itself on a much larger, more violent scale.

Trying to find reasons for people’s behavior in this movie is hopeless, you are forced to accept that in Aronovsky’s world, everyone is a closet psychopath. A quiet dinner at home becomes a nightmare as a cult of personality forms around “the poet”, and Mother is unable to escape the house as crazed fans riot, destroying, raping, killing and pillaging.

By the way, the transformation from regular night to cult headquarters plays out in less than 20 minutes, leaving the audience disoriented and really unable to take such random violence seriously, especially since the same thing happened 30 minutes ago, just in a less dramatic way.

People are shot as they lay on the floor with bags over their heads, masked gunman following orders from Kristen Wiig, one of the best-known cast members from “Saturday Night Live.”

Yup, the woman most famous for playing goofy sketch comedy routines like “Target Girl” on SNL, calls for mercenaries to shoot Jennifer Lawrence in the head (in yet another strange biblical reference, as Wiig’s character is named Herald).

There is a point when the excessive violence becomes so redundant that it is actually amusing, a comic relief to the metaphor and symbolism addled brain. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse (or better?), Mother gives birth, only to have her newborn torn to pieces and eaten by a mob of cultists!

She has a psychotic break (epitomizing my own mental state after two hours of sitting through this movie), the house burns down and “the poet” may be God?

When it is all an endless cycle and there are no real answers, “Mother!” Is only truly over when the audience has torn all of their hair out in frantic distress.

The purpose of this review is not to bash “Mother!” too hard though. It does have its audience. If you’re a self-proclaimed film enthusiast, who likes to watch movies in order to pat themselves on the back for “deciphering the hidden meaning”, and really “understanding” the directors vision in some way mainstream audiences just can’t, buy a ticket. You will love it.

For everybody else, don’t go see this movie. It will cost you two unrecoverable hours of your life, 15$ for a ticket, 40$ for popcorn, and an incalculable amount for mental anguish.