“Goodnight Mommy” - Movie review
Children rely on their parents for protection from the uncertainties of the world. Imagine the dread of a child looking to their parents for protection and warmth, only to find the parent has become the very uncertainty they were running from.
“Goodnight Mommy” starring Lukas (Nicholas Crovetti) and Elias (Cameron Crovetti) depicts the loss of safety in their mother (Naomi Watts).
Highlighting the vulnerability of children, director Matt Sobel weaves a compelling thriller with an ending that burns itself into the minds of all who watch. A quick note that this movie is a remake of an Austrian film of the same name, but it will be judged entirely on its own merits.
The movie opens with an iPhone video of the twins’ mother singing them a lullaby, followed by Elias drawing a picture of himself, his mother and his brother to give to his mom. While driving to see their mother for the first time since their parents divorced, the twins are ecstatic and eagerly run inside, only to find their parental unit with her face covered in bandages from a plastic surgery.
The nerves build as their mother tells them three things: do not go in her room, keep the shades drawn and do not look in the barn. Tensions escalate, as their natural curiosity causes their mother to act in increasingly erratic and divulging ways from how they remember her.
The acting from everyone is stellar. Cameron Crovetti conveys a compelling show of grief, fear and confusion through his facial expressions. His eyes perfectly capture the internal conflicts between cowardice and bravery. During the finale, he conveys a horrifyingly real reaction to everything that has happened and gives the finale the extra emotional push to shock the audience.
Likewise, Nicholas Crovetti perfectly plays off of his brother’s timid character with more upbeat mannerisms, creating a nice dichotomy between the two protagonists. Naomi Watts also toes the line between caring mother and psycho monster in the most unsettling way, leaving the audience unable to tell which she is throughout the film. Showing genuine rage and regret, she keeps the guessing game of who she really is alive and suspenseful.
Pacing often dashes the execution of a good idea and luckily the movie does an excellent job keeping a steady jog to the finish line rather than sprinting the first 100 meters and crawling the rest. The slower pace dangles the information one tiny piece at a time until every piece is finally assembled in the finale.
Viewers going in for a horrifying flick that will keep them up at night will be disappointed. There are only a handful of genuinely scary moments. What is here is a rather unnerving mystery that leaves the viewer wrestling questions about truth and lies, companionship and loss, and salvation or damnation throughout its easily digestible 90-minute run time.
The ending catharsis between the twins and their mother is truly a climactic finisher, however getting to that point may be difficult for some who prefer a movie with a bit more action.
Anybody who enjoyed movies like “Creep,” “The Witch” or other psychological thrillers will feel right at home with “Goodnight Mommy,” though watching the two previously mentioned titles beforehand may leave this one feeling a bit underwhelming.
Rating: 3/5
Luca Miceli is a first year student majoring in telecommunications. To contact him please email lfm5592@psu.edu.
