Goodnight Mommy is difficult to talk about without referring to the original. But then, I would have to spoil some plot points that shouldn’t be spoiled if you are coming into this movie fresh. So, the first half is going to be for those of you who have never seen the original, Austrian film, and the second half (which will be delineated with plenty of line breaks and spoiler warnings so you can get out ahead of time) will be for those who are already familiar with the tale.
Naomi Watts plays the titular Mommy, an actress who has had some cosmetic surgery done, unbeknownst to her ex-husband and twin sons, Elias (Cameron Crovetti) and Lukas (Nicholas Crovetti). Dad drops the boys off for visitation with Mom, and they are greeted by a mother whose entire face is wrapped in bandages, leaving only her eyes visible. She assures them it is nothing serious, but asks them not to tell their father, and lists other house rules while she is recovering: no running, no yelling, drapes must be drawn, and her room is to be off-limits.
By the next morning, the boys are troubled by Mommy. She is not like the mother they remember. She does not sing them their lullaby. She doesn’t want to spend time with them. She is colder, more distant. She even tears up a picture that Elias drew of the three of them. Elias and Lukas begin to suspect that the woman beneath the bandages is not their mother, that she has been replaced. The boys become scared, their behavior becomes erratic, which causes Mommy’s behavior to become erratic… everything snowballs.
The original Austrian film, released in 2014, is a lot more akin to a horror film than this American remake, directed by Matt Sobel. As it stands, this is a very good psychological thriller. If you hadn’t seen the original (which I had), it will keep you guessing until the very end. Is that really Mommy beneath those bandages, or is this some kind of pod-person thing? And why does she want the boys to stay out of the barn? It is intriguing, it is tense, but it is not scary. No jump scares; nothing for the squeamish to get nervous about.
The acting among the small cast is quite good. Naomi Watts manages to act her ass off, even behind a face full of bandages. Her inflection and her movements portray what her facial expressions cannot. The Crovetti twins are instantly likable. They are neither cloyingly cute nor overtly obnoxious; young enough to believe something so seemingly ridiculous, yet not so young to be annoying.
Rating (if you are new to the story): B
Goodnight Mommy is streaming on Amazon Prime Video beginning September 16th.
If you have seen the original Goodnight Mommy, then let’s get into the nitty-gritty. Newbies, stop here.
Seriously.
There are tremendous spoilers to follow.
One more obligatory warning:
Editor’s note: the rest of this review contains spoilers for both the 2014 and the 2022 versions of Goodnight Mommy. Proceed at your own risk.
Okay.
Just so you know, the twist is the same, and the finale is the same. And frankly, it is a very different film when you know that Lukas is dead and only exists in Elias’ mind. It is hard to see things from the position that “maybe that really isn’t Mommy;” all you can see are the reasons why Mommy is doing the things she is doing. This makes it a far more emotional film, and if you are sitting down for a darker, more intense movie, you aren’t going to get that.
The original film is far closer to a horror film. The twins actually torture their mother; for example, gluing her mouth shut. The worst that happens in this film is Elias throws ice water on his mother. The “horror” in the 2022 version comes from a couple nightmare scenes, which are very obviously nightmares, and feel wedged in to make it more akin to a horror movie.
Also, in the original film, there is this idea that Elias might be emotionally disturbed, and that Lukas might be the “evil twin,” giving Elias naughty ideas that he then follows through on. It is not clear what happened to Lukas, and it seems like “Lukas” is the one who is leading the charge against Mommy. In the remake, Elias seems to pull away from “Lukas” before the fiery ending and he and Mommy get something of a happy ending before the grand finale.
It is still a well-made film, with fantastic acting and a beautiful, modern house set out in the middle of nowhere, but it is not the shocker that it was when it was new. Knowing the twist, and the minor changes that were made for an American audience really soften the movie. If you enjoyed the original, the American remake would be perfect fodder for your parents.
Rating (if you’ve seen the original): C