Cuckoo

Few nice ideas are falling apart with really bad scenario at the end. The movie wants to be a horror, but at the end it becomes kinda bad and silly action movie. With a bad acting, non logic actions and hilarious staging.

I really live the ideas of creatures. Instead of fierys from debut picture of "Watchers", "Cuckoo" really has something new to offer.

And it evolving really good until 75% of the movie when everything starts to fall apart. Seems like screen writer did not know what to do with all of the beautiful concept he made.

Never let the movie break into different genres when you don't know what to do Mr. Screenwriter.

Cuckoo is a movie in a genre I love, and in a subgenre I frequently enjoy. I also regularly love complex movies that keep you guessing. I also love really weird movies. To say "this movie is not for me" would be inaccurate. Yet I pretty much hated it.

As the movie went along, I understood less and less. I couldn't fully grasp what was happening. I kept telling myself to be patient, and maybe it will pay off. But nope. There is nothing satisfying if you wait it out. And there are tons of unanswered questions and things that make no sense.

But the biggest failure is the inability to make me care about the characters or story at all. During the climax, I repeatedly thought, "I don't care." I just wanted it to end so I could go home.

There are some creepy moments. I'm a fan of actors Dan Stevens and Jessica Henwick, but they aren't given much to do. And in the end, I had a terrible time with this movie.

(1 viewing, opening night 8/8/2024)

Saw it at Berlinale - Hunter Schafer is good and we, on a emotional level, really believe everything she is asked to do by the director. Her performance ankers this movie, there isn't much to complain about on her part. The main reason why this movie does not work is the main antagonist - from the first time we see him he comes of as strange, not in a creepy or uncanny way which this movie would have needed but like he didn't belong into this movie. The character is obviously supposed to be off-putting and mysterious with an eccentric touch but apart from the latter his performance fails to convey this. The plot gets more and more obscure with time, and it is clear a somewhat logical ending will not be possible. Which a movie does not necessarily need by the way! But it tries to string it together and that does not work, it becomes laughable at times and misses it's mark. Not to mention the irrational choices made by the other family members. Maybe the way it tries to explain itself is what ultimately breaks it. The multiple tonal shifts and pace changes as it gets closer to the credits result in losing emotional connection, but I can see how they could work for some viewers. A performance that really worked besides Schafers is her young sister. The cinematography is good. It may get you with some jump scares but if you are familiar with the genre you will see most of them coming.

Disappointment. It's made with such a serious tone, but the things that are happening are so silly and stupid that the whole theatre was laughing. If the director made it a campy horror movie, it would be fine but you can feel that Tilman Singer had absurdly high artistic vision for this. That movie really has an identity crisis - it wants to be a horror, family drama and some weird action movie but it's just unintentionally funny. The script is stupid and has weird twist that isn't fully explained, so the audience didn't really understood what's going on and WHY is that whole thing happening.

However when it comes to positives, it has interesting visual choices. I also adore that weird, surreal atmosphere and acting perfomances by Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens. And overall, that movie was fun to watch even if the comedy in that movie was unintentional.

Is it worth watching in cinema? No.

Is it worth watching at home? Yeah, if ur looking for fun, dumb horror movie,

My wife and I watched the German film 🇩🇪 Cuckoo (2024) in theaters last night. The story follows a young American woman who is forced to move in with her father, stepmother, and stepsister at a resort in the mountains of Germany. As she struggles to find her place in this new environment, she takes a job at the resort to pass the time while searching for her own direction. However, her new life takes a dark turn when a strange police officer starts lurking around the premises, and a mysterious woman tries to kill her at night. Her parents think she's losing her mind-but is she?

Written and directed by Tilman Singer (Luz), Cuckoo stars Hunter Schafer (Euphoria), Dan Stevens (The Guest), Márton Csókás (The Amazing Spider-Man 2), Jan Bluthardt (Luz), Jessica Henwick (Glass Onion), and Greta Fernández (The Next Skin).

This movie had so much potential. The concept is original, unique, and well set up. Hunter Schafer is a phenomenal actress (she's fantastic in Euphoria as well). She delivers a perfect performance, capturing the desperation and isolation of her character from beginning to end. The subplots involving the mother and stepsister are smartly executed, and the type of "monster" that haunts this film is both fun and unique. The twist and reveal of the "cuckoo" element are brilliant and well-written, much smarter than I anticipated. However, when it comes to the "big finale," the film becomes predictable and ultimately disappointing. The ending falls flat and feels like a bit of a letdown.

In conclusion, Cuckoo is a unique and worthwhile addition to the horror genre, but it doesn't fully reach its potential. I would score this film a 7/10.