Goodnight Mommy is an Austrian horror movie written and directed by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz. Starring Lukas and Elias Schwarz and Susanne Wuest.
This film is a great example of elevated horror. It is elegantly produced telling a horror story in a way that is rare to get by, let alone forget.
Premise
The twin brothers come home during their summer vacation. Their mother is yet to arrive from the hospital, having gone through plastic surgery. When she arrives, face covered in bandages and an altered behavior, the boys start to wonder if she really is their mother.
Our Opinion
A horror movie that excels in its narrative tempo and style, it creates an undefinable tension and feeling of unease with the subtlety of its screenplay, frames and takes, and perfectly measured performances. Fiala and Franz’s Goodnight Mommy is elevated horror.
Movie Reviews
A masterful example of genre filmmaking’s ability to transcend its limitations, leaving a viewer not just frightened, but also changed.
Michael O’Sullivan: Washington Post
Beneath it all is the nagging and heartbreaking feeling that these boys have lost their protector. That vulnerability-combined with their isolation, their confusion-can be harder to stomach than some of the more graphic scenes.
Lenika Cruz: The Atlantic
By the third act, you’ll be hiding your face in wincing terror.
Mark Kermode: Observer (UK)
Cast
Elias Schwarz / Elias
Lukas Schwarz / Lukas
Susanne Wuest / Mother
Hans Escher / Priest
Elfriede Schatz / Red Cross Collector #1
Karl Purker / Red Cross Collector #2
Georg Deliovsky / Pizza Supplier
Christian Steindl / Mesner
Christian Schatz / Farmer
Erwin Schmalzbauer / Accordion God
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