American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 31

Unit photography by Niko Tavernise,
courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

Opposite: In the feature Mother!, the title character (Jennifer Lawrence) struggles to preserve
the Edenic home she shares with her poet husband. This page, top: The poet, identified in the
film's credits as "Him" (Javier Bardem, center), is swarmed by acolytes following the publication
of his latest work. Above: Cinematographer Matthew Libatique, ASC.

mankind: Harris' character is named
Man, Pfeiffer is Woman, and the two
unnamed brothers are avatars for Cain
and Abel. Even the production itself
was referred to as "Day 6" (the day God
created man). An inheritance dispute
ends with the younger son's brutal
murder by his older, jealous brother, and
Man's grief at losing a son ignites the
poet's creative spark.
Mother! is the sixth feature collaboration between director Darren
Aronofsky and cinematographer
Matthew Libatique, ASC. Their

creative partnership began in the early
1990s, when they were the youngest
students in their respective departments
at AFI. "We both grew up in New
York," Aronofsky relates, "Matty in
Queens and me in Brooklyn. We liked
the same music and got each other's
styles, and we had a lot of respect for
each other. There are things he does
that I could never do. He's a master of
light, always thinking about how it hits
the actor's face. I'm more concerned
with movement and framing."
Libatique asserts, "This is the
www.ascmag.com

best movie Darren and I have ever made
- certainly since Requiem for a Dream
[AC Oct. '00], where it felt like we were
able to accomplish everything we set
out to do, without compromise." The
cinematographer chalks it up to experience and knowing how to balance
creative ambition with practical
resources. "Darren's spent his entire
career trying to strike a balance between
the commercial and the artistic,"
Libatique adds. Mother! therefore
presents a rollercoaster ride of shocks
and thrills while simultaneously delving
November 2017

31



http://www.ascmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - November 2017

Contents
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - Cover1
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 1
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 2
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - Contents
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 4
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 5
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 6
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 7
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 8
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 9
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 10
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 11
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 12
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 13
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 14
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 15
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 16
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 17
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 18
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 19
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 20
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 21
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 22
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 23
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 24
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 25
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 26
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 27
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 28
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 29
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 30
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 31
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 32
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 33
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 34
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 35
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 36
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 37
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 38
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 39
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 40
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 41
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 42
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 43
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 44
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 45
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 46
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 47
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 48
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 48a
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 48b
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 49
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 50
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 51
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 52
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 53
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 54
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 55
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 56
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 57
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 58
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 59
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 60
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 61
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 62
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 63
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 64
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 65
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 66
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 67
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 68
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 69
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 70
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 71
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 72
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 73
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 74
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 75
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 76
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 77
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 78
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 79
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 80
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 81
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 82
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 83
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 84
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 85
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 86
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 87
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 88
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - Cover4
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