by Joseph Perry and Mike Imboden
In our “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict” film reviews, Joseph and Mike give their thoughts on a slice of cinema. For this installment, it’s Cuckoo, writer/director Tilman Singer’s thriller from Neon, which played at South Korea’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.
Synopsis
Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) arrives from the United States at a resort in the Alps in Bavaria, Germany, to live with her father's new family. She still misses her life in the States, and the quiet midcentury modern style resort that is her new home is unfamiliar and strange to her. The resort owner, Mr. König (Dan Stevens), is friendly but somewhat creepy. As unexpected events continue and unfamiliar characters appear and dark secrets begin to be revealed. Now, Gretchen is plunged into a bloody struggle to survive.
The Good
Joseph: Cuckoo is batty, wacky, nutty, and wild in all the right ways. It takes the insanity of perverted science from the fine tradition of 1950s science-fiction horror and adorns it with modern trappings. Teenage daughters in horror movies are rarely excited to move to new homes, and usually their instincts are correct. That’s certainly the case with Gretchen, and Singer has written and presented her as a strong lead character who takes the uprooted bitter teen girl trope, invests it with the cinematic equivalent of power chords, and gives her an impressive character arc. Schafer is fantastic in the role. Stevens is solid in his just-how-creepy-is-this-guy turn, and the supporting cast members also turn in fine performances. Singer keeps events going at an exciting clip, and unfolds the mysteries of the resort and its surroundings tantalizingly.
Mike: Cuckoo is a very aesthetically pleasing film to look at. Nice and lush exteriors, fancy dwellings (even a medical clinic looks nice), and the actors themselves are all shot on 35mm film giving the film a bit of a throwback look that is missing from a lot of movies these days.
The most important piece of Singer’s production is Hunter Schafer as Gretchen, who puts on a mini acting clinic, effortlessly moving from tough exterior to vulnerable interior as needed. We learn enough about Gretchen thanks to Shafer’s portrayal that we can’t help but want to root for her, even if our first impression is one of a stereotypical angsty teenager.
Dan Stevens, as the owner of the resort mentioned in the synopsis, is equally as entertaining with his performance. Initially he is very friendly, offering Gretchen a job to keep her busy, but as the film unspools he becomes a little sketchy. Whether or not that is a valid way to be described is something that will be revealed upon viewing the film, but it’s certainly how Gretchen perceives him and he does a great job giving off mixed signals despite coming across as a nice resort owner and friend of Gretchen’s father.
The Bad
Joseph: Some loose ends aren’t tied up. Some things are not fully explained (For example, what exactly is that goop and are they going to do with it what I think they are?!?). And in the case of Cuckoo, I don’t mind a bit. Its type of insanity invites viewers to just go with it, and those who give in are going to have a blast.
Mike: Honestly, there’s not much to put here with Cuckoo. A little more time to get to know Gretchen’s step mother a little better would have been nice, but that lack of knowledge certainly didn’t hinder the story at all. Another quibble — a VERY minor one — is that it was a bit difficult to get a sense for how much time passed from Gretchen’s arrival to the end of the film. It seems like just a couple of days, but could have maybe been a week or two. Again, this lack of information didn’t affect the story at all and only would have helped to add to an already completed picture (like adding a little shadow to one tree in a painting).
Perhaps the biggest issue is with the over explanation of things during the third act. I personally felt that things were pretty easy to figure out once the initial reveal was offered up which made a lot of things, looked at from a rear view mirror, fall into place. Sometimes a movie doesn’t need to spell out 100% of everything and this was one of those times.
The Verdict
Joseph: Cuckoo is a great-looking sci-fi horror movie with a rock-and-roll attitude — and some fitting songs — that delivers suspense, shocks, offbeat humor, and an overall weird-in-a-cool-way vibe. It’s fun and highly entertaining, and sometimes that’s exactly what we genre-film fans crave and need. Highly recommended, Cuckoo is destined for a spot on my Best Horror Films of 2024 list.
Mike: From a lush and dreamy exterior to captivating performances. Cuckoo is a very solid psychological horror with a little sci-fi added to the plot to complete the experience. Singer builds tension very smoothly when needed, aided by an effective score by composer Simon Waskow that helps to build a sense of impending dread.
Schafer and Stevens are stellar in their roles with Schafer’s Gretchen shrugging off her tough exterior to reveal a caring young woman, as Stevens’ Herr König subtly oozes an air of mistrust while outwardly being an extremely pleasant host.
Recommended for genre fans who like their psychological horror tinted with a splash of sci-fi and a dash or two of effective jumpscares all shaken together.
Cuckoo Is available for digital purchase and rental and will be released on physical media in time for Halloween on October 22nd.
Cuckoo
Directed By: Tilman Singer
Written By: Tilman Singer
Starring: Hunter Schafer, Jan Bluthardt, Marton Csokas, Dan Stevens
Run Time: 1h 42m
Rating: 15+ (KR), R (U.S.)
Release Date: February 16, 2024 (Germany)
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