Review: GOODNIGHT MOMMY Is a Thoughtful, Visceral Thriller

Let's start by noting that GOODNIGHT MOMMY is not just another weird foreign film testing the creepiness factor of twins. Though it is definitely weird, it does feature twins and they are pretty creepy. (Just check out the poster.)

GOODNIGHT MOMMY opens with said twins, nine-year-old Lukas and Elias (Lukas and Elias Schwarz), passing time until their mother comes home. (Well, actually, the film opens with a scene from another film, DIE TRAPP FAMILIE, that's an ominous harbinger of things to come - effective, but beside the point.) When Mother (Susanne Wiest) finally does return, face bandaged from cosmetic surgery, the boys suspect something's not quite right; they suspect something sinister: namely, that the woman behind the gauze is not really their mother.

Co-written and co-directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, GOODNIGHT MOMMY is a horror film in the way that the work of Michael Haneke or Catherine

Breillat, or even Lars von Trier, is horrific. It is uncomfortable, disconcerting and tense, with sudden eruptions of visceral violence. And of some of the scenes, Cronenberg would be proud. In GOODNIGHT MOMMY, we're talking insects creepy-crawling their way into people's mouths and out of their stomachs, body parts superglued together, forced dental flossing, and burns by way of magnifying glass (among other things).

Franz and Fiala also make good use of some cryptic imagery, like a dead cat in a fish tank or a gentleman walking through a deserted town playing the creepiest instrument known to man - the accordion, though one may wonder to what end. One nightmarish scene is like a woodland Prodigy video (or, if you prefer an only slightly more sophisticated reference, may remind you of Chris Cunningham). The film is atmospheric and suspenseful (i.e. kind of slow), but it is visually interesting, and the performances (particularly those from the Schwarz twins) are compelling enough to sustain you through the lulls of the film.

Lukas and Elias Schwarz (and, more specifically, their relationship to each other) are the stars of this film, and deservedly so. The close bond between the boys - they are often framed together and rarely seen apart - is colored with intensity and vulnerability, whether they are roughhousing or comforting each other. They are also each their own character; Lukas exerts more control, and is more dominant, while Elias comes off uncertain but supportive.

Susanne Wiest cuts an imposing figure as the boys' mother, her mummy-wrapped face giving the appearance of sunken, dark eyes and a rictus grin. It's not hard to see why the boys doubt her as their mother; she feels like a villain. She is physically threatening, oddly avoidant, and even the most seemingly benign of interactions is weighed down with a heavy tension. She is at turns tired and weary, aggressive and desperate.

In a weird way, it's hard not to compare GOODNIGHT MOMMY to another recent release, M. Night Shyamalan's THE VISIT. Both were shot in (mostly) chronological order, both center around the children of broken homes (which is crucial to the story), and both feature characters playing a deadly game of pretend, living in a make-believe world where the drama (and horror) arise from who is in on it and who is not.

The film also has, what is officially known as, a Shyamalanian twist. But here's the thing about it: in a lot of ways, the film is really predictable. That doesn't make it ineffective, however, and that is impressive. It is, if anything, a quiet meditation on the effects of trauma, and a thoughtful (if extreme) look at what can happen when there is a lack of recourse for children who believe there is no one looking out for them. Ultimately, it is the childlike understanding, the simplicity of Lukas and Elias that is most sympathetic and so, so disturbing.

GOODNIGHT MOMMY is a very watchable film, but be warned: if you go see GOODNIGHT MOMMY, be ready for "Guten Abend, gute Nacht" to be the soundtrack of your nightmares for the foreseeable future.

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GOODNIGHT MOMMY starring Susanne Wiest and Lukas and Elias Schwarz is rated R for disturbing violent content and some nudity.

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