Cuckoo

I went to the "Secret Screaming" screening of "Cuckoo" last night, though I was pretty confident, based on the fact it's already out in the US, that this would be the film that Cineworld were going to show. My feelings about the film remain mixed, even having taken a night to ruminate on it.

Following the death of her mother, Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) moves with her father Luis (Marton Csokas), Stepmother Beth (Jessica Henwick) and Stepsister Alma (Mila Lieu) to a cabin resort in the German Alps. The family are there to design an expansion to the complex, at the request of Herr Konig (Dan Stevens), the owner of the resort. Konig offers Gretchen a job working at the hotel's reception, but on the strict understanding that she must not work the late shift, and definitely won't cycle home through the woods at night.

Just because it's an easier place to start, I will say that I don't think I found "Cuckoo" particularly scary. There's an excellently framed set piece near the start of the film - that was unfortunately mostly featured in the trailer, and a couple of body horror moments that work, but it's really more of a thriller than a genuine horror film.

I will say that I imagine that a fair proportion of people will be shaken off by the film. It's not particularly accessible, being wilfully stylish and trippy and taking a while to get to its explanations - though if you stick with it, they are coming. Dan Stevens, always amazing, is back again (for this, my third film of his this year) and he's having a great time as the eccentric Herr Konig. Schafer (also, ironically in a third film of the year for me) carries the movie though, she's in every scene and manages to keep you onside despite her character doing some questionable things. She has some more dramatic scenes as the film progresses and her emotional (and physical) suffering is well done.

I suppose the best I can do is say that I don't regret watching "Cuckoo", which has enough scenes and moments to make up for the slightly unsatisfying whole. I'll never need to watch it again though.

I had high hopes for this movie. It starts off pretty well, slow paced, setting the isolated stage in a good way, odd characters and an eerie setting. I liked it. Then it started getting creepier and creepier and it felt like I was in for something good and different, and I was. Just not consistently the way I hoped for as it only lasted up to a certain point, and then it dropped the ball. Suddenly it felt like the movie didn't know what it wanted to be, as it went in different moods and directions.

It did try to get back on the creepy track here and there, but it was not enough. The illusion of a really creepy and eerie setting was over, and the rest was a rather bland mix of pointless motions which had me simply waiting for the end of the movie so I could go and do something else. It's a shame, I wanted it to keep on the way it initially did. That would have set it apart from other horror movies, but alas no, it wasn't meant to be. It just had to try to add some action into the mix, and not in a good way. The whole premise was explained and I lost interest in it.

One of the rules when making creepy and unsettling stories; do not explain! Do not! That ruins everything. I don't want to know what the monster or horror is, I want my mind to try to fill in the blanks. I don't want it explained to me. I can take the fact that I don't know what I just saw is, that makes the effect that much greater. The thing about not knowing what the evil really is, not knowing where it came from, that's a great part of the horror it represents. The fear of the unknown is as old as all living things and should not be ruined when making these movies. Once you explain it, it's over. How copywriters and directors misses this point again and again in movie after movie is completely beyond me. If you can avoid it, don't show the monster, but if you do, make sure it gets maximum effect and not for shock value. Ever since Alien there's not a monster in any movie that tops that one, so don't go over the top trying to beat it, because you won't succeed. In this one the monster worked, it was creepy as hell, even though we got to see it so it was well done in this circumstance, until they explained it. Do not ever explain the monster!

Just like the movie Smile, which also showed a great initial promise, this movie simply faded away into just another horror movie that explains a really good and mysterious premise and then ruins it because of it, that couldn't keep itself together, and so became just another easily forgotten movie. It is indeed a real shame as it showed such promise from start.

Perhaps the director will learn from his mistakes and do better next time.

Saw it at Berlinale - Hunter Schafer is good and we, on a emotional level, really believe everything she is asked to do by the director. Her performance ankers this movie, there isn't much to complain about on her part. The main reason why this movie does not work is the main antagonist - from the first time we see him he comes of as strange, not in a creepy or uncanny way which this movie would have needed but like he didn't belong into this movie. The character is obviously supposed to be off-putting and mysterious with an eccentric touch but apart from the latter his performance fails to convey this. The plot gets more and more obscure with time, and it is clear a somewhat logical ending will not be possible. Which a movie does not necessarily need by the way! But it tries to string it together and that does not work, it becomes laughable at times and misses it's mark. Not to mention the irrational choices made by the other family members. Maybe the way it tries to explain itself is what ultimately breaks it. The multiple tonal shifts and pace changes as it gets closer to the credits result in losing emotional connection, but I can see how they could work for some viewers. A performance that really worked besides Schafers is her young sister. The cinematography is good. It may get you with some jump scares but if you are familiar with the genre you will see most of them coming.

Disappointment. It's made with such a serious tone, but the things that are happening are so silly and stupid that the whole theatre was laughing. If the director made it a campy horror movie, it would be fine but you can feel that Tilman Singer had absurdly high artistic vision for this. That movie really has an identity crisis - it wants to be a horror, family drama and some weird action movie but it's just unintentionally funny. The script is stupid and has weird twist that isn't fully explained, so the audience didn't really understood what's going on and WHY is that whole thing happening.

However when it comes to positives, it has interesting visual choices. I also adore that weird, surreal atmosphere and acting perfomances by Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens. And overall, that movie was fun to watch even if the comedy in that movie was unintentional.

Is it worth watching in cinema? No.

Is it worth watching at home? Yeah, if ur looking for fun, dumb horror movie,

Few nice ideas are falling apart with really bad scenario at the end. The movie wants to be a horror, but at the end it becomes kinda bad and silly action movie. With a bad acting, non logic actions and hilarious staging.

I really live the ideas of creatures. Instead of fierys from debut picture of "Watchers", "Cuckoo" really has something new to offer.

And it evolving really good until 75% of the movie when everything starts to fall apart. Seems like screen writer did not know what to do with all of the beautiful concept he made.

Never let the movie break into different genres when you don't know what to do Mr. Screenwriter.