2010's Catch-Up: Goodnight Mommy (3/27/2020)

Goodnight Mommy is an Austrian horror film released in the year 2014, written by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala. Recently, I watched their more recent effort, this year's The Lodge. While I highly enjoy many aspects of that film, its final act left me feeling decidedly hollow and underwhelmed. I was told that Goodnight Mommy was the superior of the two, and I can certainly see the argument for this. Goodnight Mommy is more raw and more earnest than The Lodge, and can almost be read as a truer reflection of Franz and Fiala's style - for better or worse.

After watching both of these films, I've grown fairly frustrated with these two. I can understand where their appeal comes from, and for two thirds of both films I was on the edge of my seat, fearing what would happen next yet unable to turn away. But they seem to be incapable of writing a satisfying ending, and Goodnight Mommy falls prey to this even more than the Lodge did. For most of its run time, Goodnight Mommy is impeccable in its craft, unbearable in its tension yet irresistable in its setup. Then, in a final twist ending, it completely deflates itself and implodes.

I'm not going to spoil the ending, but I should say that it more or less does work. There was plenty of foreshadowing now that I think back on it and the sleight of hand concealment and misdirection leading to the big reveal at the end is the cinematic equivalent of a wonderfully crafted magic trick. The problem is that not only does it fundamentally redefine the film you're watching, but it turns it into a less interesting, less meaningful one. I was honestly far more invested in a complex and messy portrayal of the breakdown of family relationships and mother-son bonding in horrific ways. Yes, it had some blanks it needed to fill it by the end to make sense, and while this twist does the trick... I just can't help but feel disappointed that that was all it was.

The Lodge had similar problems, with a lot of people claiming that Goodnight Mommy is the superior of the two. Surely, Goodnight Mommy is more raw, less pretentious, and more unique. But between the two, part of me almost prefers The Lodge. I still remember the atmosphere and tension of that film fondly, whereas for all of its excellent camerawork, atmosphere and progression, I can't think of Goodnight Mommy as anything but hollow. A worthwhile watch, but nothing I'm going to ever really think about again.

Check out my 2010's Catch-Up Scorecard here!