Nordling here.
Tim League started GOODNIGHT MOMMY (German title ICH SEH ICH SEH) cold, like throwing a young child in the deep end of the pool to see if that child could swim. Without preamble, the film began and I was unprepared for what followed. I was unfamiliar with the cast and the directors (Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz). I had no idea what to expect. I'm happy I didn't; even at festivals like Fantastic Fest we choose films to see that we think we may enjoy, or may provide interesting conversation, and I'm not sure I would have chosen GOODNIGHT MOMMY had I known what I was going to experience. Tim called it his favorite genre film at the Toronto International Film Festival, and judging by that, I must conclude that Tim League is, at heart, an evil, diabolical man who enjoys making audiences squirm. GOODNNIGHT MOMMY certainly did that, judging by the many reactions of disgust and horror I heard throughout the film. If you want to duplicate that sort of experience, you should read no further and seek out this very twisted, wicked little horror film when it gets released by Radius Films.
GOODNIGHT MOMMY examines well-traveled cinematic ground - an exploration of the relationship between twin brothers Elias and Lukas (played by Elias and Lukas Schwarz). The brothers suspect that their mother (Suzanne Wuest), whose face is mysteriously covered in bandages, is not who she seems. The mother doesn't seem to be any good at being a parent, but Elias and Lukas aren't exactly model behaved children themselves. Alone in what appears to be a vacation home, the relationship between the boys and their "mother" deteriorates rapidly, and when the horror begins, it is unrelenting and gruesome, with some very subtle practical makeup effects that caused quite a bit of uncomfortable noise in the audience. People with torture trigger issues should probably steer clear.
I don't want to dive into the plot more than that, because it is best experienced as it plays out onscreen. GOODNIGHT MOMMY, at times, feels like a puzzle needing to be solved, but the pieces as they are handed out do not seem to fit at first. Once everything is revealed (and it doesn't come across like a Shyamalanesque twist so much as it allows for time for the audience to gather information and figure it out on their own), for many horror fans used to seeing this sort of thing, they may figure it out very early on. Not me, though. I was stunned when it all came together, and I've been seeing movies for a very long time. In this case, I may have been able to figure out everything earlier, but a key scene in the film fooled me completely; based on my own personal experiences I missed the forest for the trees. I wish I could go into more detail, but again, it's best experienced without me spoiling it.
The performances are top-notch. Lukas and Elias Schwarz are creepy, but also act like typical pre-teen boys, who can be cruel because it fascinates them. They have an inner language that plays well onscreen, and watching them slowly turn against their "mother" is unsettling. Suzanne Wurst, in her way, has a harder job of it, especially in the film's second half, but she garners our sympathies even as we question her motives. The directors are very careful in how much information they dole out, but they aren't trying to fool the audience, either. I feel like I need to see GOODNIGHT MOMMY again, now that I understand what Fiala and Franz were doing, to examine how meticulously they build their world and feed the audience each nugget of story. Audiences going into GOODNIGHT MOMMY with the intent to "crack" the movie may be in for a disappointing time. Instead, the movie should wash over you, and as it disturbs and disorientates, you may find that GOODNIGHT MOMMY is very effective at getting under your skin. The film is impeccably shot by Martin Gschlacht, giving the proceedings an appropriately cold and clinical feel.
What you take away from GOODNIGHT MOMMY depends on how you engage with it. I was floored by the story it told, and while I've always enjoyed films like DEAD RINGERS and THE OTHER, I think Elias and Lukas may well take the cake for creepiest movie twins onscreen. But for others more intent on solving the film instead of experiencing it, GOODNIGHT MOMMY may not be satisfying. This was a controversial choice to play at Fantastic Fest, and much of the discussion afterward was varied and mixed. I don't know if I would have seen GOODNIGHT MOMMY otherwise if Tim hadn't programmed it, so for that I'm thankful. It has been a great year for me with horror films at Fantastic Fest, and for me, GOODNIGHT MOMMY was no exception. GOODNIGHT MOMMY is a disturbing, frightening experience.
Nordling, out.
