#REVIEW: “CUCKOO”

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Hunter Schafer leads this strange, mysterious, Thriller-Creature Feature.

Gretchen (Schafer) reluctantly leaves her home in America to move to a small village in the German Alps with her estranged father Luis (Marton Csokas), his wife Beth (Jessica Henwick) and their daughter Alma (Mile Lieu). They arrive to an isolated town with a motel, apartment blocks, and one eerie hospital that gives an ominous feel. It’s there, Luis and Beth reunite with the odd Herr König (Dan Stevens), who they met years ago on their honeymoon. He takes the entire family under his questionable wing. But as Gretchen spends more time in the town, its secrets begin coming to light. Including one about her own family.

Writer-Director Tilman Singer has crafted a creature-feature oozing with mystery and intrigue. Singer is successful in Cuckoo’s suspense and mystery primarily due to the fact the Film doesn’t play out as a creature-feature in the beginning. We feel we’ve seen this story before. A young girl moves away from home to a small strange town. The people are the usual suspects for occult or other activity. Here, yes the people are still to blame. But the originality of the big reveal makes Cuckoo a stand out.

There are many hints alluded throughout about what is really going on in this town. The Sound Design is a major player. Constantly hearing unsettling bird noises throughout. Then there’s the fact that Alma’s having problems speaking and a strange woman randomly runs through the village at night. All these plot points lead to mystery, hints and suspense and the sound design adds a layer of anxiety.

The Cast is great and strong performances from Stevens and Schafer. They are the primary focus of the story so they get more developed characters. However, we wish we got to see more of Henwick who felt under-ultilized.

Cuckoo is a rare film that will work better for some than others. But one thing’s for sure, going in blind is the best route. Elevation Pictures release CUCKOO on Friday, August 9, 2024.