Review of Goodnight Mommy (2015) by Alberto A — 28 Oct 2015

Goodnight Mommy is one of the most relentless, disturbing, and visceral movies Iâ??ve seen in years, or probably in my life. Austrian writer-directors Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz explore an extremely flawed relationship between a mother and her kids and takes it to the extreme, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats almost for the entire film. The sounds you hear while watching this film are hilarious. First, you have the amazing sound design which will make you have the chills, but then youâ??ll hear the gasping sounds of the audience in perfect unison, because the plot and the scenes that compose it are shocking, yet beautifully crafted at the same time.

The film is about a family who lives in some quiet and secluded place of the Austrian countryside. No dad, just a mother and her twin sons. After a mysterious event, which we donâ??t know about until later in the film, the mom comes back home from having facial surgery with a terrifying mask, but she also comes back with a terrifying, abusive, and authoritarian behavior; quite different from what the twins were used to. Her harsh and hateful attitude towards her kids make them think that she has been switched and that she is an impostor. You will hate the mother so much, that you want the kids to do something about it and get backâ?¦and then, you kind of wish that you had not wanted that.

Essentially, Goodnight Mommy depicts the extreme causalities of having a family member with mental illness, and criticizes behaviorism as a way of teaching someone what is to be â??goodâ?? and what is to be â??badâ?? with rewards and punishments, respectively. Right off the bat, Iâ??ll tell you that I have not experienced such an extreme change of heart about my feelings toward and perceptions of a character at the middle of a film since I watched A Clockwork Orange. The plot of the film will punish you for falling for the subjective narrative of some of the characters without thinking critically about all of the characters and why they do what they do.

The script is genius, and the story progression is even more amazing, because the film does all of the above plus it keeps you engaged; pondering what might happen next, or wondering what information has been kept from you since the beginning. It somehow manages to keep your hands on your mouth, unconsciously trying to drown that gasp, which is a sign of the successful shock value of the film. And lastly, among other things, it gives the film an opportunity to have extremely stylistic shots and symbolic production design. The acting is nothing short of amazing, the performances by Lukas and Elias Schwarz are sublime and unsettling. They should be added to the list of creepiest and scariest twins in movies (Iâ??d dare to say, scarier than the twins from The Shining). Susanne Wuest, who plays the mother, is astounding as well. She perfectly embodies the harshness and helplessness of a mother who has just been through so much.

Goodnight Mommy is now one of my favorite films of the year. It sort of reminded me of Lynne Ramsayâ??s We Need to Talk About Kevin, in that it explores the tabooed topic of children not being saints nor innocent at all, whether they were born with some sort of mental illness, or they were raised by neglecting parents, Goodnight Mommy shows no filter in what a child can do. The film has been categorized as a horror film, but be advised: this is NOT a typical horror film where you go to the movies and scream when the characters scream. No, this film just portrays a horrific, yet powerful, story that will indulge any horror movie enthusiast, any dark humor fan, but also any person who appreciates a multi-layered storyline with well-developed characters. At the end of the film, youâ??ll say: â??This film is fucked up (and I donâ??t want to have kids anymore)â??. It is 100% fucked up. But it is amazingly fucked up. I dare you, go watch it.