Cría Siniestra

This was quite an interesting watch. The story slhas a compelling social commentary and there are a lot of themes in this allegory that are pretty heavy to take on. It's very impressive to think that this is the first film for the director as well as the main actor who plays the lead. While most of the cast play their odd roles well, the girl who plays Tinja was so good - she really makes you feel for her.

Aside from the undertones, the horror in this film was pretty bonkers. It tows the line between ridiculous and disturbing a little shakily but you're never bored.

I overall felt like the narrative bit a little more off than it can chew in all the things it was trying to tackle but maybe the ambiguity was the point. This film didn't awe me to the level that it did others but I certainly thought it was a unique one definitely worth a watch for horror fans.

This warped fairy tale from Finland hits the ground running with a wonderful opening scene that really sets the tone.

A perfect family (husband, wife, young son and daughter) enjoys a perfect moment in the perfect living room of their perfect home.

But then, an uninvited guest makes an appearance.

Like a Poe-esque harbinger of doom, a jet black raven swoops in through an open window and destroys this idyllic tableau of domestic bliss.

And then things get really strange.

Hatching is essentially a coming-of-age story, a little like ET, if it was directed by Ari Aster instead of Steven Spielberg.

With great performances by Sophia Heikkila as the selfie-stick wielding stage mom and her long suffering daughter, played by Sirii Solalinna, this is a very promising debut feature from Hanna Bergholm.

Uncanny, unsettling and unpredictable.

A Finnish film about a young, Finnish girl growing an egg inside her household what turns later into a living nightmare. It has some good jumpscare aspects and horror elements in it as well. Stick around until the ending because I did not expect the ending to go that far. It is a good horror film overall.

Love it or hate it you won't forget this film in a hurry. On balance I think I sort of loved it for the most part.

It is bold and brazen in its approach, unafraid to be unapologetically weird. Alongside the striking imagery there are some interesting themes to pick through, particularly surrounding motherhood and social media, which added an interesting layer to the film.

The plot is as bizarre a plot as I've ever seen. It is full of disturbing imagery, cleverly worked set pieces, and just obscene ideas. Some of it didn't quite work for me but it was a gripping film from start to finish nonetheless. When it starts to feel a bit too out there it quickly whips you back in with a wild scene.

If you like your horror to be more edgy, surreal, and on the down right odd end of the spectrum, then you'll find a lot to enjoy with this one.

Saw this back at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival

Finland cinema isn't common for me to see as there isn't many Finland movies that are really widely known in the United States. Having only seen a few films from director Aki Kaurismäki which I really like, I was looking forward to seeing another film from Finland. Especially a horror movie from Finland. After viewing the movie, it was a solid horror movie.

Director Hanna Bergholm understands how to make the movie engaging with some interesting writing aspects of the movie and including some really amazing disturbing make up for the costumes. The set production is really colorful and bright. Making the feeling of the world is like some kind of fantasy. The musical background fits the tone pretty well and the performances from the cast is pretty good. Even the child actors did a pretty good job. Usually I am picky on child actors but here they did a pretty good job. There's a good level of decent gore and tense presented in this movie which helps add the movies tone and thrills. While being said, there's still potential that was missed and wasted.

The characters unfortunately were really uninteresting. Characters are important in order to keep the movie flowing. But here the characters felt really basic and just boring to witness. The main character is pretty bland with basic purpose and the main characters mother is highly unlikeable and annoying throughout the movie. Some of the dialogue really felt fake as if an adult had written lines for a kid that no kid would even sound like. The writing itself was already interesting but it never really took advantage of what it wants to be. Instead it decided to go through the basic way to present the story, just like "Jojo Rabbit" where it takes a very interesting subject but instead becomes basic because the filmmaker was trying to be safe.

There are some decent symbolic moments and weird tones provided throughout this movie but it wasn't too strong to carry. Nevertheless, it was still a solid horror movie.

Rating: B-