The members of a dysfunctional family find themselves mysteriously trapped in an antiquated furniture store when their elderly matriarch (Ellen Burstyn) suddenly refuses to get up from one of the display couches. Reluctantly assembled, her three estranged children – David (Ewan McGregor), Gruffudd (Rhys Ifans), and Linda (Lara Flynn Boyle) – must figure out how to escape this bizarre predicament. With the help of the store managers, Marco & Marcus (F. Murray Abraham), and their daughter Bella (Taylor Russell) the siblings embark on a mind-bending odyssey that forces them to face life-altering truths about their own lives and upbringing. Boasting “sensational” performances from an “A-List cast” (Deadline), Mother, Couch marks director Niclas Larsson as “a major new voice breaking through in cinema” (Slash Film).

For in-depth thoughts on Mother, Couch, please see my colleague Dave Giannini’s review from its theatrical debut here.

Video Quality

Mother, Couch arrives on Blu-Ray courtesy of Film Movement with a strong 1080p presentation that captures the look of the feature without a hitch. This is a meticulously constructed film with some unique spaces designed to capture the liminal plane these characters occupy. There is a commendable amount of detail in close-up shots of the production design and costumes. Colors are consistently saturated with some of the nuanced colors permeating the screen. Skin tones look natural, and there are some rich facial details present. Black levels are deep with no crush observed, and highlights avoid blooming. Compression artifacts and other digital anomalies are not an issue. The film is a treat in high definition.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with an LPCM 2.0 track and a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track which accomplish everything asked of them. Environmental sounds come through with a notable presence, and dialogue is crisp and clear without being overshadowed by the music or sound effects. Everything emerges without any moments losing clarity. The track flourishes with subtle, occasionally unsettling sounds of the interior flowing out of the speakers. There is some welcome texture in the low end, but it does not attempt to be a showcase in that regard. This track does a good job of bringing this one to life. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Niclas Larsson, producer Sarah Murphy, production designer Mikael Varhelyi, editor Carla Luffe and composer Christopher Bear provide a decent commentary track in which they discuss the production of the film, the reaction to the script from the actors and the production team, creating the set from scratch, and more.

Behind The Scenes Featurette: A nearly 19-minute look at the production of the film from the first table read to the production of the set and more.

Trailer (2:09)

Booklet: A multi-page booklet is included featuring an essay by film critic Jason Bailey.

Final Thoughts

Mother, Couch is the type of weird outing that makes you wonder how the stars aligned to get the level of talent and financial support that it did. This is not a knock against the film, as we wish more big swings were taken by anyone with the money to fund such projects these days. The film has its fair share of shortcomings, something you expect from a feature debut, but there is a clear point of view that makes it a very transfixing viewing experience. The mounting sense of discomfort throughout is translated perfectly thanks to a magnetic ensemble. The film will be deemed too odd and aimless for many, yet those starving for something a little out of the box should find a lot to admire here. Film Movement has provided a Blu-Ray with a great A/V presentation along with a couple of valuable supplements. Recommended

Mother, Couch is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Film Movement and OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.