In the film 'The Tree of Life', Jessica Chastain plays Mrs. O'Brien, the matriarch of the family, who is portrayed as a strong, compassionate, and deeply connected to nature maternal figure. Her character is fundamental to the narrative of the film, serving as a counterpoint to the patriarch, played by Brad Pitt, who presents a more rigid and pragmatic worldview. In the story, she and her husband raised three sons who are now adults. Due to his father's rigidity, Jack (Sean Penn) faces a strong sense of guilt for the death of his brother.
After seeing that humanity has devastated the entire Earth and there are no more natural resources to be exploited, a group of astronauts led by Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) decides to embark on an exploratory mission to discover possible habitable planets. In the story, Jessica Chastain plays Cooper's daughter, Murphy, who also tries to find a way to save the planet.
In 'Mothers' Instinct', Jessica Chastain reunites with Anne Hathaway and plays a middle-class woman from the 1960s alongside her. The two are best friends and neighbors whose ordinary routine is almost always the same: cleaning the house, taking care of the children, and cooking. One day, when a serious accident happens, the harmonious relationship of the two families turns into a tangle of guilt, paranoia, and threats.
Based on the book of the same name by Charles Graeber, 'The Good Nurse' tells the story of Charlie Cullen, a health professional who murdered at least 300 people during the 16 years he worked as a nurse.
In the story, Jessica Chastain plays Amy, a nurse who, suffering from burnout, sees in Cullen's arrival a way to relieve her daily tasks and take care of her daughter. The two become close and end up becoming friends, but when the accusations arise, she needs to risk her own life in search of the truth.
Another film starring Chastain that is based on a true story is 'Molly's Game', released in 2018.
In the story, she plays Molly Bloom, a skier who, after losing the chance to participate in the Olympics due to a fatality, travels to Los Angeles where she starts working as a waitress.
It doesn't take long for her to be introduced to the world of clandestine card games organized by Dean Keith (Jeremy Strong), a film producer who decides to hire her as an assistant. Impressed with the ease of making money, Bloom decides to organize her own gaming tables, becoming a millionaire in the gambling world. Nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, 'Molly's Game' also stars Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, and Chris O'Dowd.