Goodnight Mommy ( Servin Fiala and Veronika Franz, 2014): Austria

Reviewed by Angela Ostermeier. Viewed at the AFI Fest, 2014

From writer-directors Servin Fiala and Veronika Franz comes Goodnight Mommy, a truly terrifying film about two twin brothers who try to come to terms with the alterations of their mother’s physical and emotional state after she returns home from extensive facial reconstructive surgery. As the two young boys played by Elias and Lukas Schwarz (same name as characters), try to come to adjust to their “new mommy” they play malicious tricks on her that prompts her to retaliate in questionable ways. While it is clear to audiences that the mother, played by Susanne Wvest, favors one son over the other it is unclear as to why except that Elias believes that his brother Lukas must apologize for something. She even goes as far is to make poor Elias promise never to talk to his brother again.

This movie perfectly displays the key aspects of Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby by the use of dreams that take you to a place where the lines between reality and unconsciousness start to blur.  Throughout the film the brothers are terrified by the thoughts of a stranger entering their home and taking on the role of their once beloved mother. As the woman who may or may not be who she says she is recovers from her “operation,” she watches over the young boys peering through window blinds and restrictions that limit their outdoor and even indoor play. Her close motherly grip on them suddenly turns dangerous as she punishes the brothers by locking them in there rooms and telling them to remain quiet. The tension between the three of them constantly boils until the characters and the audience can no longer stand it. This leads to a final showdown that leaves more than once persons life in jeopardy.

If the story line is not enough to scare the skin off you the setting of the film will do the job. With every scary story there is your basic horror film settings: Cornfields, woods, cold big house, basements,empty towns and churches, and of course tombs. Goodnight Mommy has them all. When it comes to the weather in the film it is as fickle and bi polar as the children’s mother leaving viewers feeling cold and lost in the beautifully terrifying scenery.

As the children paranoia urges them to find the truth behind the mask their mother is wearing they put their own on and become viscous and hellbent on discovering the truth.Paranoia is a feeling every human has felt before and I think we can all agree it is a horrible sensation that is hard to recover from. It has the ability to play dangerous mental games with us. Overall I think that Goodnight Mommy was a terrifying experience that left me on the edge of my sit the entire time. As for the ending, audience members will receive a shock of a lifetime as the truth behind everyone’s questions are revealed. This film was truly what the f*** worthy and I recommend and horror film buff to get in line and see it. From dead cats to dead people this film will send chills up your spine with its never ending feelings of uncertainty that makes viewers wonder Is this real life?