Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'Goodnight Mommy'

Written by Scott Murray

Goodnight Mommy introduces a simple premise of doubt: Our main characters, two twin boys, have their mother return from some medical procedure with her face wrapped in bandages. Her behavior is very different from how it once was, however, and the boys become worried that she is not their real mother. The film revolves around the question: is this really another woman posing as their mother, or are the boys simply going mad?

The film plays out more like a very slow mystery than a horror, presenting evidence which supports one or the other idea throughout most of the film. It actually reminds me of something like Chinatown or Shutter Island, where you can never really be sure who is telling the truth or what is real. These parts of the film are presented well, with a fantastic combination of confusion, logic, grossness, and human weirdness. It plays on our unfamiliarity with the family: is this behavior really unusual, or do they simply have different habits than we’re used to? The film being foreign, and so about a family from a culture and world which is different from ours, actually gives this more weight: we can never really be sure about how much of what we’re seeing is actually unusual, and how much is just the boys going mad or the mother stumbling in her imitation. This is presented to us with some fantastic cinematography and great lighting work which make the film a joy to simply look at regardless of how slowly the events sometimes take to plod onward.

Eventually, we pass into the endgame of the film: the boys make their decision and tie down their 'mother,' intent on torturing her until she reveals what happened to their real mother. All clues, hints, and plot progression rather understandably come to a halt as the boys lay into her with gruesome yet simple interrogation methods that are downright painful to watch. This all leads up to the final climax where the truth is revealed. It really was a great twist, so I won’t spoil it here. Suffice to say it is hinted at perfectly: The plot doesn’t leave us with zero clues so it can ambush us at the last second, but it doesn’t project the twist obviously either.

Unfortunately, the film is let down by the lead up to this climax: when the boys tie the woman down and the back-and-forth of 'who’s telling the truth?' is suspended, the film simply goes on and on and on and on, content to simply spin its wheels with more torture. In fact, just as I was wondering how much longer the movie could possibly be, my roommate (who was watching with me) actually paused it to see how many minutes remained. As far as I know he still can’t read minds so I must conclude that we both felt that particular segment of the movie dragged on for too long without giving any sense of progress.

All in all, Goodnight Mommy is a tightly directed and shot film, (with fantastic performances from all three main performers) that sows doubt effectively and deftly presents its mystery for the audience to ponder, but is let down by a third act that drags on too long and overstays its welcome.

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