Jessica Chastain's new film
Jessica Chastain, who made her debut in feature films at the age of 31 with Jolene, has since worked with prominent directors such as Terrence Malick, Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan, and Kathryn Bigelow. Malfaisante, released this Wednesday, marks her tenth feature film of the decade 2020. Dual role in the film
In the film, Chastain plays the mother of Bela and also portrays "Other Mother," an evil entity haunting her house and threatening the family. Creating the monster's look
To create the unsettling face of "Other Mother," Chastain imagined a fixed smile associated with tears. During a fitting, her grimace caused a child at her caravan to scream, prompting director Rob Savage to exclaim, "We have Other Mother." Physical effects used
Savage preferred physical effects and real actresses on set to portray the creature before adding visual effects. A stuntwoman and former volleyball player, Hayley Spelman, wore stilts in certain scenes to appear 2.03 meters tall. Extendable silicone masks were designed to show the monster's degradation. Set construction for scenes
To avoid green screens during the "inverted room" sequence, the set team constructed a real room completely upside down. The set, made at three times the normal scale, allowed the camera to pass through and included furniture, plants, and curtains fixed to the ceiling. Even the champagne glasses contained frozen liquid upside down. Film now in theaters
Malfaisante is now in theaters.
