Written and directed by Tilman Singer, “Cuckoo” follows 17-year-old Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) as her new blended family moves to a mysterious German resort after her mother’s death. When Gretchen scores a job as a receptionist, she slowly uncovers the resort’s sinister secrets.
Following her critically acclaimed breakout performance in “Euphoria” and her first film role as Tigris in last year’s “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”, Schafer continues to make her way onto the big screen, this time in a leading role. As expected, she gives a captivating performance here, successfully capturing Gretchen’s teen angst toward her father and newfound family, and her confusion toward the German resort she finds herself in.
Unfortunately, audiences will find themselves relating to Gretchen’s initial confusion and experience that feeling throughout the film. The plot begins simply enough as the viewer follows Gretchen’s unwillingness to settle in her new home because she wants to return to her mother’s house in the United States. However, as the plot begins to unfold and Gretchen discovers the resort’s true nature, the plot dissolves into a confusing jumble of unclear exposition and skeptical character motivation.
To its credit, the film does capture a sense of eeriness and unease, specifically in close-up shots on the hollow of a character’s neck where audiences can see a rapidly pounding heart, alongside warping sound effects that lend a feeling of whiplash. Singer employs interesting depictions of time warping, which first intrigue the viewer as to where the story is heading and later raise the film’s tension. The chase and action sequences also prove entertaining and will satisfy audiences looking for hard-hitting punches and delightfully cringe-worthy scenes where Gretchen receives staples on her splitting head wound.
However, no amount of effectively tense sequences can make a movie easier to understand, and “Cuckoo” suffers from this reality. As Gretchen discovers the resort’s true purpose and practices, she must save her step-sister Alma (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey) from the resort manager Mr. König (Dan Stevens). The film’s underwritten script, however, fails to clearly explain Mr. König’s motivations or backstory, which sometimes makes Gretchen hard to root for.
Singer clearly possesses an eye for directing suspense and thriller movies, but his scriptwriting leaves something to be desired. “Cuckoo” holds a lot of heart and even more potential, but falls short of that potential, weighed down by a confusing plot and unclear character motivations.
3 déjà vu episodes out of 5
