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| Images courtesy of NEON |
Science fiction, horror, and low budget indie arthouse thriller all meet for one strangely confused film that can't quite find its identity. During a year that's seen horror once again take the cinematic spotlight, Director Tilman Singer attempts to mix genres in a movie that starts out mysterious and captivating but quickly spirals into sheer mayhem that has no real direction or easily defined plot. Cuckoo is an absolute mind fuck that shows off Tilman's love for Giallo and '70s style plotting but quickly devolves at each and every turn with twisted pacing, undefined characters with little motivation and kinetic violence that has a surrealist edge.
However, despite Cuckoo's struggles to make any sense whatsoever, Hunter Schafer finds room to show off her dramatic skillset. This is her first chance to carry an entire film. Outside of HBO's long missing Euphoria, Schafer has typically been relegated to supporting roles. With Cuckoo's absolutely European visual style and analog feel (it's shot on 35mm), Schafer is allowed to shine, catapulting her to one of her best roles to date, even if the film itself won't be winning any awards in the near future. Her control of character and emotional weight has a heft to it that's both timely and thematically perfect for this style of nonsensical plot about genetic testing and cross pollination. Schafer slinks into the character of 17 year old Gretchen and one hundred percent disappears into the screen.
This is escapist high concept art that is more about the experience than it is the actual story at hand. It just so happens to be released during the summer blockbuster season, which will inexplicably hurt its box office. With a Halloween release, this would have done much better even if it doesn't quite gel with the standard definitions of modern horror. There are no jump scares and no tag lines. There are no slashers or demonic objects. Yet, there are many moments of closeted humor that fit right at home with Singer's bizarro vision of a hotel in the Bavarian Alps.
Dan Stevens is here, once again playing foil to a young woman that's on the verge of insanity. Stevens always kills it when playing villains. The same can be said here. With some rather muted dialogue and a twisted tongue in cheek performance, Stevens knows how to play to the camera, always with a wink, a nod and a sideways smile. He knows exactly how obtuse this story is, but he still brings his best, making his Herr Konig one of the most interesting villains of 2024.
Cuckoo plays as a genre mutant mashed and baked into one sticky, goopy mess that never quite finds its way out of the kitchen. This is a movie that expects its audiences to just go with the flow, no matter what Singer throws at you. It all hits the screen with a bloody splat but somehow maintains enough dynamic intrigue that it's fully watchable and will definitely garner multiple rewatches. There's just something about this one that doesn't feel right but has the conflicted hook to draw its viewers into its madness. There is no logic to Cuckoo. This is purified, celluloid pandemonium. Either Singer is absolutely insane or knows exactly what he's doing. We'll go with the latter.
Fans of Beyond the Black Rainbow will undoubtedly find something to latch on to here.
-CG