-Written by Kyle Bain.
Struggling through the normalities of motherhood, Marie (Mel House) must now deal with the mystery of her missing bathroom door. With the world infringing on her way of life, and her son making it incredibly difficult to pursue her dreams (or pay her mortgage), she must power through the obstacles in order to provide for her family. Hot Angry Mom is Marie’s story.
Hot Angry Mom doesn’t appeal to me–but I don’t think that it’s meant to. I believe that Writer House and Director Clarissa delos Reyes chose a niche market to appeal to. It’s a vast market for sure, and it appears that they understand that ostracizing a series of potential viewers won’t make or break this film. I’d imagine that, while not all mothers are the same, they experience similar trials and tribulations throughout the course of parenthood. They likely see some of the struggles presented throughout Hot Angry Mom, and that makes this series likely to strike a chord with that audience.
Hot Angry Mom feels too bizarre and too outlandish for me to appreciate. It seems to extend itself beyond reason in many facets of its narrative–and that makes it challenging for someone like me to appreciate the series. Again, I’m not the target audience; I’m not the person that has experienced anything similar to what Marie faces on a daily basis, and that’s certainly why there’s such a disconnect. Hot Angry Mom is an extreme telling of what mothers experience, but not having a basic understanding of these instances makes it nearly impossible to appreciate in full.
Director of Photography Niav Conty does a wonderful job of bridging the gap, however. Particularly in the bathroom scenes Conty develops a sense of claustrophobia that helps viewers connect with Marie. Hot Angry Mom is fully dependent on whether or not viewers understand Marie’s plights, and even if things don’t necessarily make complete sense, the sarcastic development of darker tones manages to create a connection. Between Conty’s immersive cinematography and a constant breaking of the fourth wall, Hot Angry Mom does find ways to appeal to viewers outside of the community of mothers for which this show is certainly made.
This really plays out more like a short film than a series–and I think promoting this as a series sets up certain expectations. I went into this series expecting a more dynamic story, one that has the potential to twist, turn, and develop further. And with that, Hot Angry Mom isn’t quite as fully developed as I had hoped. Hot Angry Mom follows a far more linear story, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that other than that it combats expectations. Hot Angry Mom plays out quickly, with a series of episodes in only about thirty minutes. I don’t truly know what I expected to transpire throughout the course of the series, but it still feels that it didn’t quite live up to my expectations–whatever they might have been. It feels somewhat rushed, somewhat incomplete–and I suppose that the incomplete part is on purpose, anticipating and hoping for future seasons.
Once again, Hot Angry Mom doesn’t really appeal to me, and I suppose that’s the purpose. It’s meant to appeal to a specific group of people, those who have experienced parenthood (specifically motherhood). While narratively I struggled to get on board, the cinematography is what allowed me to remain present in the series, and Conty that will allow a wider-range of viewers to appreciate Hot Angry Mom.
Directed by Clarissa delos Reyes.
Written by Mel House.
Starring Mel House, Eric Ruffin, Ivory Aquino, Devin E. Haqq, Nadja Anderson-Oberman, etc.
5.5/10 = WORTH WATCHING, BUT YOU’VE BEEN WARNED
