Mommie Dearest does her best impression of Marmee in “Run.” Picture-perfect, warm, and loving on the surface, Diane (Sarah Paulson) is a mom whose true nature is gradually revealed in the psychological thriller.

“You do everything for me. You teach me. You cook for me. Am I a burden?” Diane’s daughter asks. Seventeen-year-old Chloe (Kiera Allen), a wheelchair user, is very reliant on her mom, and is hoping to leave home for college. She’s convinced that she can do more for herself and tries to set boundaries for her overprotective mom, but Diane is quick to end the discussion. “I’m your mom. It’s my job to take care of you when you need me, and you need me,” Diane insists, further cementing their co-dependent relationship.

As Chloe makes shocking and terrifying discoveries about her mom’s behavior and past, it becomes clear that it’s Diane who needs her.

Suspenseful, action-packed, and anchored by a go-for-broke performance by Paulson, “Run” makes for a gripping experience, and while it can certainly be enjoyed at home, it’s unfortunate that COVID-19 put the brakes on any sort of theatrical release. This is the kind of film that’s best enjoyed among a rowdy audience — barring a pandemic, of course.

“Run” is a wild romp, but it’s also culturally important. According to Variety, it marks “the first major thriller to star a wheelchair user since 1948’s ‘The Sign of the Ram.'” The significance of the milestone isn’t lost on Allen, who told EW how exciting it was for her to be “part of a historical moment like that. But the more exciting thing for me,” she added, “was just the character and the story, and to be able to play a part that was really about the character and not about the disability.”

Allen, in her first leading role in a movie, brings even more dimension to Chloe than what’s on the page. She should be cast in more projects, stat.

“Run” is streaming on Hulu.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf99oBP5mhQ