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Somewhere in rural Austria: When their mother (Susanne Wuest) returns
after surgery with a bandaged face and a short temper, Lukas (Lukas
Schwarz) and Elias (Elias Schwarz) have problems to even recognize her -
not just because she looks different but also because she acts erratic, is
strict to the point of being violent towards her children, plus she
insists on all sorts of stuff the boys don't approve of due to her still
not perfect health, like all the blinds being drawn, them remaining quiet
most of the time, staying close to the house if they have to go out at
all, and not bringing any new animals inside with them. Of course the boys
find themselves unable to stick to any of these rules ... and yet, when
they find the dying cat they brought in had actually died, they think mum
did it - and furthermore, they think the woman living with them is not
their mum but some evil twin or something, even and especially after she
has finally removed her bandages and looks a bit too much like their mum.
The situation worsens more and more, with mum even locking the boys in for
a night and stuff ... and eventually the boys tie mum to her bed and
torture her to tell them the whereabouts of their real mum - which breaks
mum's heart (if she's indeed the genuine article), but it also leads to
things far worse ... Goodnight Mommy is a slow moving
yet incredibly creepy piece of psycho horror, mainly because it's a
complete mindfuck of a movie, building up atmosphere throughout before
turning its narrative on its head (without losing its inner logic) and
going all visceral in a way that seems to come out of nowhere. And the
finale's a real shocker indeed. All this is of course helped by a very
effective yet very subtle directorial effort, a screenplay that really
makes one identify with the boys' often very off imagination rather than
presenting them as symbols of innocence ... and the main cast is really
top rate! Totally worth a watch, but a film that doesn't leave you
easily, so prepare for a sleepless night or two.
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find Goodnight Mommy at adultvideouniverse.com
