Having heard some good word about Cuckoo back when it was first released, I'm not sure why I kept delaying a viewing of it until now. Although, now finally having seen it, maybe that was some part of my brain already aware of the fact that it might not work for me. Because I didn't like this, and I am quite bewildered by some of the praise it received.
Hunter Schafer plays Gretchen, a teen who is forced to move with her father and his new wife, as well as her mute half-sister (Alma, played by Mila Lieu) to a fairly isolated hotel project in Bavaria. Gretchen is offered support and a warm welcome from Herr König (Dan Stevens), the man employing the services of her father, but she senses that something is quite wrong. Maybe it's to do with the hooded woman (Kalin Morrow) who starts to follow her around.
There's an interesting idea at the heart of Cuckoo, and it's clear that the core premise and the title were always clear in the mind of writer-director Tilman Singer, but it feels like a film made by someone so happy with the concept that they forgot to fully consider just how it would reverberate through a screenplay that needed something more. Every bit of tension and confusion has been presented much better in so many other "stranger in a strange town" tales, and the third act is disappointingly underwhelming when things are clarified that feel as if they were already quite obvious.
Schafer is good in the lead role. She's a captivating presence, and able to handle the escalating silliness with a straightforward approach that helps to keep everything grounded. Stevens is at the other end of the spectrum, having a lot of fun with his German phrases and accent, making himself so super-friendly that it's clear he has some involvement in whatever is going on. Lieu is often sidelined, but does a great job when involved in the finale, Morrow cuts an interesting figure, and there's room for Jan Bluthardt, Martin Csokas, Jessica Henwick, Greta Fernández, and others to have some screentime.
While there's an enjoyable oddness to this, I can't help thinking that Singer couldn't quite nail down the tone. The horror isn't as effective as it should be, and the second half should be much more disturbing and unsettling, considering what is being revealed. It all ends up just being one odd thing after another though, which makes it feel more like a parade than an intriguingly-developed narrative. Some of the visuals work well, but a few important touches (especially the main effect felt by those who are momentarily unsettled by something close enough to disorientate them) fall completely flat.
Add a point if you ever wished to hear Dan Stevens delivering dialogue in a well-executed German accent. But I would direct you towards better movies in which he has had fun playing non-English speakers.
4/10
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