With an intriguing concept that feels genuinely fresh and fantastic performances by Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens, Cuckoo is another great addition to NEON’s horror catalog. Still, the movie’s scattered storytelling makes this a divisive release.
Cuckoo is framed through the eyes of Gretchen (Schafer), a 17-year-old forced to move in with her father (Marton Csokas) after her mother’s passing. The turmoil of a teenager’s grieving is amplified by the fact Gretchen’s father has a new wife (Jessica Henwick) and daughter (Mila Lieu), leading her to feel like an intruder barging into the perfect family. The sour cherry on top of Gretchen’s rotten cake is that her father, and therefore her, is relocating to a remote resort in Bavaria, Germany, where her stepmother was hired to build a new tourist complex.
Gretchen’s tragic life is ripe for exploring the horrors of isolation and family drama. Still, from its first act, Cuckoo underlines evil lurks in the shadow of the Bavarian forest. The resort owner, Herr König (Stevens), is obviously hiding a dark secret connected to the strange events happening in the place and the mysterious reason why he demands Gretchen’s stepmother oversee the construction of the new building in person. As an outsider in every sense, Gretchen finds herself in the middle of a grim conspiracy as she and the audience uncover the truth together.
Cuckoo could have used its intriguing background to build any number of spine-chilling stories. Yet, the movie remixes classic creature feature tropes to simultaneously honor horror’s tradition of offering deranged entertainment and the new wave of genre movies that put character before plot. Without spoiling the movie’s surprise, it suffices to say that your mileage might vary depending on how willing you are to go with the flow and accept the weird (albeit fun) things Cuckoo conjures on the silver screen.
It’s curious how Cuckoo fits so well with other NEON 2024 releases. Like Immaculate and Longlegs before it, Cuckoo elevates a concept that would fit like a glove in the B movie scene by giving filmmakers the budget and the autonomy to imprint their unique voices on film. Furthermore, NEON’s horror line boasts astonishing performances by Hollywood veterans and newcomers alike, underlining how horror is a fertile ground to cultivate acting talent.
The menace at Cuckoo’s core is similar to the wacky concepts in classic grindhouse movies — the kind of production with a budget of 20 bucks and half a sandwich. That is not an insult, on the contrary. Independent horror shows a level of creativity that we don’t usually see in mainstream cinema, as filmmakers are free to explore any idea they have without worrying too much about it being commercial. Still, not everyone might enjoy Cuckoo’s level of eccentricity.
At the same time, writer and director Tilman Singer refuses to embrace the B-movie energy of Cuckoo’s concept, trying to stick grandiose motifs in a story that could work better if it leaned harder toward its inherent insanity. Cuckoo has something to say about repressive families, queer identity, the need to reaffirm one’s identity, and even the damage done by a society that reduces women’s bodies to their reproductive capabilities. It’s a barrage of ideas that gets two in the wall to see what sticks, and sadly, not every theme connects cohesively with the main narrative.
At some point in production, Cuckoo got stuck between philosophical arthouse ambitions and the unhinged nature of its main idea. As a result, Cuckoo stretches itself too thin in multiple directions, failing to do anything as well as it could.
Cuckoo is still able to enthrall those willing to accept its shortcomings. While the movie never gets too scary, Singer has crafted an atmosphere of constant confusion and paranoia that slowly sucks you into its bizarre version of a Bavarian resort. The movie’s editing, in particular, contributes to the audience feeling lost, a sensation they share with Cuckoo’s protagonists. Once the shell of secrecy is broken and Cuckoo has hatched its terrors, every piece falls nicely into place. However, until then, Cuckoo makes you question what you see and hear while your brains spin around trying to make sense of the quirky story. Disorientation is a powerful tool in genre cinema, and Cuckoo masterfully uses it.
However, the two main reasons to watch Cuckoo are Schafer and Stevens. As Gretchen, Schafer holds all the falling pieces of Cuckoo together, delivering what’s arguably her best acting yet. Gretchen is a layered character struggling with complex emotions while trying to survive an impossible situation, a character that would fall flat without an acting powerhouse to support it. Even though Cuckoo is Schafer’s debut in horror, she shows an instinctive talent to handle the genre’s subtleties in one of the year’s best performances. We can only hope Cuckoo will open more somber doors for her to explore her screen queen potential.
On his turn, Stevens is no stranger to the uncanny, having led one of the strangest and most brilliant TV shows ever, Legion. Still, it’s always a pleasure to see him in horror, a genre where he’s visibly at home. His Herr König is a constant menace, hiding his twisted intentions behind sweet words and fake hospitality. He’s controlled, centered, and cynical, the perfect contrast to Shafer’s Gretchen. The duo’s dynamics alone can carry Cuckoo even when things threaten to fall apart, and Singer owns them both a lot for the movie’s eventual success.
The rest of the supporting cast of Cuckoo also have their moment to shine. Lieu is adorable as Gretchen’s naive younger sister, and Jan Bluthardt deserves a special nod for his take on Detective Henry. Added to the movie’s high production value, these significant side characters raise the Cuckoo experience.
All in all, despite its divisive script, there’s a lot to love in Cuckoo. Plus, when you get to be this creative, you should gain a free pass to some of the eventual pacing problems of your movie. So, while Cuckoo is not the best NEON movie released in 2024, it deserves the hype that has been following it since its trailer release, and it’s a fine addition to this year’s genre landscape.
- Intriguing and fresh horror concept
- Fantastic performances by Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens
- Atmospheric tension and paranoia
- Effective use of disorientation as a storytelling tool
- Strong supporting cast
- Scattered storytelling that may be divisive
- Struggles to balance arthouse ambitions with B-movie elements
- Some themes don't connect cohesively with the main narrative
Published: Aug 6, 2024 08:00 am