Guess who's seeing Cuckoo tonight?!
I have a theory regarding the film:
I have a feeling the "monster" in the film is a kind of Cuckoo, in that it's learned mimicry and infiltration tactics in order to survive and thrive.
UPDATE: Saw Cuckoo last night. I won't say if my theory was proven right or not, but I will say that Cuckoo is absolutely one of those films that works best if you walk in knowing as little about it as possible, and let it take you on its weird, bonkers roller-coaster ride.
Cuckoo is written and directed by Tilman Singer. This is his sophomore effort (He previously directed and wrote 2018’s Luz). The storytelling is a little muddied/messy, and not everything is fully explained by the end (or maybe it’s the answers aren’t explained well. I can’t decide which it is). All that said, Tilman is an innovative director. The screenplay is pretty solid despite continual foreshadowing involving the meaning of the title. The foreshadowing hits so hard it hurts and quickly grows annoying.
Hunter Schaffer is fantastic as Gretchen, our lead. Gretchen starts out as a bit of a stock cliche: The disaffected, snarky, cynical, angsty teen. As the film moves onwards, she grows a bit of depth and is given some great pathos involving her backstory that only helps to endear us to her. Her weapon of choice (a switchblade not unlike the one Dan Stevens used as David in The Guest) is pretty memorable. You definitely want to see Gretchen come out on top by the end.
Dan Steven’s shines bright as Herr König. He puts on a convincing, stilted German accent. He is perfectly awkward and off-putting in the role, and always keeps us on our toes as to the true nature of his character. This is easily his best role and performance since The Guest. Dan Stevens is back, baby!!!
Kalin Morrow is disturbing, horrifying, and grotesque as “The Hooded Woman”. Her costume, make-up, and prosthetics are very memorable and scary (as are the sounds/cries she makes). She makes for a great, memorable antagonist. Jan Bluthardt is also pretty great and memorable as Henry. The film has some fun with his character as he could be a force for good or bad during the proceedings. Mika Lieu impresses as well as Alma, Gretchen’s mute step-sister. Cuckoo slowly builds up her character, but she proves to be a very sweet and kind girl. Her relationship with Gretchen is one of the strongest parts of the film.
Surprisingly, despite Cuckoo definitely being a very weird horror film, it has a strong, emotional core. It also deals heavily with themes of motherhood. Most of the film moves fairly slowly as it builds its mystery (but never so slowly that it could be considered a slow-burn. It’s not). The third act is where Cuckoo hits its stride as stuff hits the fan in a highly entertaining and tense/suspenseful way (the film practically explodes during the entirety of the third act).
Cuckoo is this year’s Barbarian (another film that dealt heavily with themes of motherhood). While it is not without its flaws, Cuckoo is still easily the most original horror film we’ve gotten in quite some time. It’s disturbing. It’s touching. It’s sweet. It can be unpredictable. It’s also 125,000 percent wild, insane, and bat-poop bonkers. With a heavy emphasis on uniqueness and originality, Cuckoo is another of the best horror movies of 2024. It matches to the best of its own weird drum, and we are all the better for it.
4.5 STARS