PLOT: Twin brothers arrive at their mother’s house and suspect something isn’t right.
REVIEW: Goodnight Mommy is a remake of the 2014 Austrian film of the same name. So if you’ve seen the original, this will no doubt be treading the exact same ground. Thankfully, it can still excel with some fantastic performances from each of the three leads. But is that enough to give the film an identity of its own? I’d like to think so. I’m also just appreciative when something is a good story, no matter how many times it’s come before.
Goodnight Mommy is mysterious from the start, with twins Elias and Lucas getting dropped off at their mother’s house. She’s apparently just had surgery, so she has massive bandages over her face, obscuring her identity. She’s also very cold and callous towards the boys, leading them to believe their mother has been replaced by someone. You’d think this would be the big Act One twist, but no, it’s actually established very early. Because of this, it’s almost impossible to look at the Mother without suspicion. However, a lot of credit goes to Naomi Watts.
Watts gives a really understated and wonderful performance, making you question her motives from the start. There are plenty of subtle things that they’re doing with her character to really show how “unmotherly” she is. From her general lack of empathy in any situation to her overt ignoring of the children at times, it really leaves you asking the right kind of questions. It’s easy not to even see Watt’s face behind the mask, which further lends to the mystery. But by the end of the film, you completely understand the dark and twisted reality behind that cold demeanor.
Both boys give really great performances, and given that the story is told from their perspective, a lot is riding on them. At first, I was sure the filmmakers were doing the same technique used in The Social Network with facial replacement. Still, they’re actually twins (played by Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti). And I’m just an idiot. Lucas is a little more subdued, and it feels like we spend slightly more time with Elias. I’m always tough on child actors; these kids do a great job. There’s also a pair of cops that show up, who I wasn’t a fan of at first, but won me over by the end. If anything, they play a key role in the film’s message. I just wish that they didn’t feel like such caricatures.
While I’d say most of the film hits the mark, there are moments that miss. The dream sequences are some of the stranger parts, almost feeling like they’re from a different movie entirely. They do a good job of making you question the reality that the story exists in. But honestly, outside of a brief shock factor, they don’t add much. I think it would have been scarier to spend more time with Watt’s Mother character, as she was absolutely enthralling. And I really wish things had gotten along a little faster in the third act.
In fact, there are some very odd exclusions from the original to this one. While I really enjoyed the subtle approach the film took, there was a lot of tension left out, due to certain scenes being excised. While I was glad for one change, as it felt more appropriate given the American setting, most of the differences don’t feel very important. But as such, this doesn’t feel like Gus Van Sant’s Psycho, where we’re just getting a shot-for-shot remake. The bones remain the same while some of the moving parts around it have been altered a bit. And, for the most part, it works well.
There will surely be people upset with the mere idea of remaking Goodnight Mommy, as it’s already a very liked film. But this remake does a good job of honoring the original and bringing forth a new interpretation of the story. Sure, there’s a lot that’s similar, but it’s a great story that deserves to be seen by the widest audience possible. I absolutely loved my time with this film and didn’t mind some of the repeated formulas. This was an intense journey that was held up by its great cast and beautiful cinematography.
Goodnight Mommy is Streaming on AMAZON PRIME on September 16th, 2022.
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