Film Review: Cuckoo

Cuckoo
Director: Tilman Singer
Neon and Weltkino Filmverleih
In Theaters: 08.09

As a big horror movie fan, I was anticipating the release of Cuckoo since I saw the preview come out in April of this year. German filmmaker Tilman Singer is the director for Cuckoo, along with the 2018 murder/mystery film, Luz. Following the themes of horror in supernatural creatures, Singer creates haunting stories and incorporates both horrific sounds and complementing soundtracks to his films, which makes for a thrilling-heart pounding experience. 

Cuckoo takes place in the Bavarian Alps at a place called, “Resort Alps Chatten,” where 17 year old Gretchen (Hunter Schafer, Euphoria) is thrown into disarray as she loses her mother and is forced to live with her father, Luis, his wife, Beth and their young daughter, Alma (Mila Lieu), who is also mute and experiencing unexplained seizures. The family moves in hopes of building a new resort with the creepy family friend and owner of the current resort Herr König (Dan Stevens, Abigail). 

Very soon after their arrival, you already get an unsettling feeling from Mr. Köing , who seems to have a fascination and strange interest with Alma and is almost too insistent that Gretchen work at the resort. Along with Gretchen being taken from everything she has ever known, the fear of being alone really adds to the eerie-ness of the setting. Once Gretchen begins working at the resort, the nightmare really begins. 

This is one of those movies where if you were to cover your ears, I wouldn’t judge you in the slightest. With echoing screeches that fill the woods at night, the supernatural element of the film is revealed pretty early on. Guests of the resort are exhibiting strange behaviors late at night, vomiting and wandering the resort grounds, which adds to the mystery of what is happening at the resort. Unexplained incidents happen to both Gretchen and Alma, showcasing how Gretchen is more alone than ever. As Gretchen experiences supernatural events and Alma suffers from seizures, their father only seems to care about Alma and believes Gretchen to be the problem. This element of the film made it more so somber to me, especially when she would call to leave messages on her mother’s answering machine. 

I thought the plot of the movie wasn’t as confusing as many have written the movie out to be. The explanation for the dangerous obsession Mr. Köing had for the cuckoo birds and preserving that way of reproduction could have been clarified throughout the movie, as opposed to being revealed later on in the film. The first hour of the movie had more of a focus on the mysterious phenomenon that was occurring at the resort, without having some easter eggs to pick up on how Köing was connected to it all. The themes of forced breeding and human experimentation were disturbing and made me think about the horrors of both fiction and reality. 

The quality of the performances contributed heavily to my investment in the film. Hunter Schafer’s acting as Gretchen made me feel her pain both emotionally and physically throughout the film. My favorite scene of Schafer’s was alongside Alma played by, where Gretchen’s apology and expression of love to Alma was both moving and heartwarming. The representation of ASL in that scene and throughout the film added a lot of depth overall. Lieu’s performance was very powerful and her expressions allowed the audience to care and root for her character. 

Dan Stevens’ portrayal of Mr. Köing incorporated the classic evil scientist antagonist character, where right from the beginning of the movie, you have a bad feeling about him. His touchiness towards Gretchen and closeness to Alma was seen as creepy from the start and all in my movie notes, all I could write was, “the creepy man is up to no good”.

One of my favorite elements of the movie was the soundtrack, of which most hasn’t been released online, but includes songs by composer Simon Waskow, who also is known for composing music for Singer’s other hit movie, Luz. It was also listed in the credits of the movie that there was a song a part of the film that included Hunter Schafer’s bass and vocal talents, which connects back to Schafer’s character, where she is playing the bass with her amps and headphones.

The pictures and filming style for this movie captured the essence of the uncomfortability of the scenes and overall enhanced how crazy everything was. Presented on 35 millimeter film, the close up shots of the neck got my heart rate going numerous times throughout the movie, especially along with the close up shots of the banshee-like vibrating screeches. Cinematographer Paul Faltz made a lot of similar creative decisions throughout the movie with close ups of shadows, Gretchen’s bloody face and twitching ears. These choices emphasize the play on the human senses and how that can also enhance the audiences’ senses. 

Although the movie’s premise was pretty sound to me, I was left with a few unanswered questions by the end. Singer’s films do a great job of leaving you feeling unsettled, with the combination of themes, soundtracks and noises that make your toes curl. I believe that Cuckoo had some jump scare moments, but I’d classify the movie to be more of a mystery/thriller with heavy supernatural horror elements. Even though I wasn’t on the edge of my seat or shutting my eyes in complete terror, I was compelled by the cinematic and musical choices that, for me, made me believe in the nightmare that is Cuckoo. –India Bown

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