It is rooted very heavily into a psychological thriller that messes with your mind. What makes Goodnight Mommy different from other 'horror films' is that it isn't trying to be a horror film. This makes you feel very uneasy and uncomfortable for the duration of the film. Only taking place predominantly in the confines of a house, the film has a claustrophobic feel to it. Some highlights are the intense and tough to watch interactions between the mother and her sons. There are definitely some scenes that are great, fantastic in some cases. There are multiple scenes which could have either been cut out because they didn't really serve a purpose or been given an extra dose of tension or adrenaline to keep my interest high. I'm all for taking time to tell a story and ensure that everything is told the way that the production team intend, but this is a slow film. There were times where this film was a challenge to get through. For a film that is just over an hour and half, the slow and tiresome pacing makes it feel like two hours. The next task for it to overcome is a compelling and consistently engaging storyline? Does it succeed in that? Unfortunately, not. Looking at my checklist, I can tremendously tick off good performances, so this film is underway to become a great horror film by my standards. This might be considered a star making turn for her. I even think she gives a performance that rivals those in Hollywood right now. Wuest gives a subdued and calm performance amidst all the chaos making her really stand out from the boys. I could never figure out whether she really was their mother or if something sinister was afoot. Not only does she nail the suspense as we wait for the reveal but provides constant changes in perception. She plays the mysterious character that returns as the supposed mother and she is scarily good. In the words of Drake, "This bitch is crazy!". As the main focus for the boys' mistrust, is Susanne Wuest as the mother. But nevertheless, the boys still shared a great brotherly bond (which is to be expected) and they are haunting when they need to be.
Some of the acts that these kids partake in are so incredibly violent and out of character that it completely removed me from any form of suspense because of how unexpected it was. On the other hand, they become absolute psychopathic little brats. At times, you realise that they are just kids and we are watching them play with their imagination as children often do. I felt so conflicted about the portrayal of them.
Whilst the performances were absolutely not a problem, I hated the actual characters. Whilst the subtitles provided the actual lines they were saying, I could more or less work out their speech due to their emotive abilities. The identical twins played by the Schwarz twins are great for newcomers. There really aren't that many characters with the majority of the runtime only featuring the two boys and their mother. Because of this, our direct attention is focused upon the physicality of the actors and they result in providing the best moments of the film. That is not the case with Goodnight Mommy as there isn't that much dialogue to begin with. With the film being spoken in the German language, many people often think that it would be tough to grasp the effectiveness of the performances. Goodnight Mommy is not exactly a horror film but instead, a complex psychological thriller. However, after watching this film, you must understand that the trailers lied to you. After watching the trailer and finding it very suspenseful, yet not quite the scariest trailer ever, I have been waiting for Goodnight Mommy for quite some time. But early in 2015, my curiosity was peaked when a trailer for a Austrian horror film was dubbed as the 'scariest trailer ever'. Most of them nowadays are ineffective in creating any scares and I usually leave extremely underwhelmed. I am a tough critic when it comes to horror movies.
Plot: Twin boys move to a new home with their mother after she has face changing cosmetic surgery, but under her bandages is someone the children don't recognise.Ĭast: Lukas Schwarz, Elias Schwarz, Susanne WuestÄirectors: Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz