Goodnight Mommy (2014) — The Kids Are Not Alright
Goodnight Mommy (2014) is an Austrian psychological horror film about twin boys (Elias and Lucas) who suspect their mother returning home after cosmetic surgery is not who she says she is. Things go from bad to worse as their suspicion is met with unclear answers.
Written and directed by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, it is a technically well-put-together feature. A slow-burn pace cranking up the uneasiness and well shot. Both Lucas and Elias Schwarz (same first name in the film) portrayed their characters aptly alongside Susanne Wuest (mommy).
**It’s hard to discuss this film without mentioning any spoilers so skip to the last paragraph if you don’t want any**
I put this film on my watchlist years ago. During the time between then and now, for reasons unbeknownst to me, I got it in my head that the story will be about a scary mommy (perhaps possessed) where the twin boys will have to figure out her problem and survive by their lonesome. Having watched the film, I feel stupid that I didn’t realize from the poster that might not be the case. I mean look at that thing and tell me they don’t look like something is fucked up about them.
Seriously though, due to my preconceived notion going in and the misdirect in the writing, I had fun with the subjective experience where the film pulled a fast one on me in the initial 15–20 minutes thinking the mom would be the “antagonist” but instead, the twins are. It didn’t last long but I did find it amusing and entertaining.
The narrative has several thematic layers with miscommunication being the prominent one. Failure to communicate efficiently is common in families and stretching that to an extreme for a horror outing was interesting. It is exacerbated in times of sheer distress which the characters in the story were facing. Another is about failure to grieve properly and heal trauma from a family tragedy that can manifest itself in ugly ways.
It could also be thought of as a social commentary on the broken family system, particularly in the West. Isolated and adrift, the events of this film would not have happened had family or friends existed who would come over and help out. Maybe I’m reading too much into this and this was just a plot hole because the mother makes no attempts to bring in anyone to help her out.
Another glaring weak instance in writing is when the mother is set free after being tied to her bed by Elias and instead of smacking him out or throwing a blanket to restrain him or something, she just runs and gets knocked out by a trap so that the finale can happen.
The problem with such issues in the script is that nothing else is going on in the film. It’s extremely slow and the twist isn’t really a twist. Unless you’re busy with something else while watching it, you’ll pick up on the hints early on that Lucas isn’t there and Elias is imagining him as a coping mechanism for losing him in an accident. The subtle — or rather not so subtle — direction lets you experience the rest of the events by knowing what is and isn’t. Any pitfalls in the writing get magnified and strain on suspension of disbelief.
I get it, it is symbolic of grief, trauma, miscommunication and coping mechanisms where both the Mom and Elias, instead of healing from the tragedy of losing a son and a brother as well as a husband and father, exacerbate the problem further. But as is often the case with psychological horrors, overreliance on themes comes at the cost of objectivity and without a complete balance, it can hamper the experience significantly. Luckily for Goodnight Mommy, it didn’t break it but I couldn’t bring myself to completely enjoy it either.
You sure do feel bad for the mom as she gets tortured by her son. There is an unsettling layer throughout the feature regardless of the issues and by the end of it, it’s just fucked up. You want Elias to be punished for his psychotic behaviour but you also understand it’s not really his fault. You want to scream at the mom for making stupid decisions but you understand that she’s weak and doing what she can in that state. In that, the film does find its footing and doesn’t fall into the depths of awfulness.
There is also a scene with a cave of bones where the twins (well, Elias and his imagined bro Lucas) enter and find a cat. Maybe something paranormal latched onto Elias in there resulting in his utterly psychotic behaviour or insanity. I can’t recall any confirmed declaration in the film about it so it’s headcanon.
Overall, Goodnight Mommy had an intriguing idea that wasn’t executed splendidly but was to an extent above mediocrity. The psychological horror worked satisfactorily, the intentional frustration worked superbly, the performances conveyed the depressive state of the characters aptly, and the overall production was conceived solidly. The unintentional infuriation worked against it occasionally, it can be a bit too slow at times and the handling of the twist can leave you desiring more. So, if you’re in the mood for an indie psychological horror outing, maybe give it a shot. And if I were to rate it I’d give it a 6/10.
