Matriarch (film)

Matriarch is a 2022 American horror film written and directed by Ben Steiner and starring Jemima Rooper and Kate Dickie.^[1]

Matriarch
Directed by	Ben Steiner
Written by	Ben Steiner
Starring	Jemima Rooper Kate Dickie
Distributed by	Hulu
Release date	October 21, 2022 (2022-10-21)
Running time	85 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Synopsis

At breaking point after a near fatal overdose, a woman returns home to confront her childhood traumas, and her mother.

Cast

• Jemima Rooper as Laura
• Kate Dickie as Celia
• Sarah Paul as Abi
• Simon Meacock as Leonard
• Nick Haverson as Gerald
• Celinde Schoenmaker as Katrin

Release

The film was released on Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ in the United Kingdom on October 21, 2022.^[2]

Reception

The film has an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 13 reviews.^[3] Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting awarded the film two and a half "skulls" out of five.^[4] Mary Beth McAndrews of Dread Central awarded the film three and a half stars out of five.^[5]

Ben Kenigsberg of The New York Times gave the film a negative review and wrote, "But none of how Matriarch resolves is particularly scary or surprising. The finale — filled with dark, barely legible imagery — is a letdown both visually and dramatically."^[1]

Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Steiner’s film shrewdly shifts back and forth between the real physical threat of dark supernatural forces and the more elusive harm done by a lifetime of bad parenting."^[6]

Martin Unnsworth of Starburst also gave the film a positive review, calling it "a slowly simmering powder keg of a film that mixes relatable human drama with a portion of Cronenberg mixed with a soupçon of The Devils."^[2]