Teenage Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) is forced to move to the German Alps with her estranged father Luis (Marton Csokas), and his wife, Beth (Jessica Henwick) after an upheaval at home. Luis and Beth dote on Alma (Mila Lieu), Gretchen’s younger mute step-sister while politely tolerating the lonely and depressed Gretchen. The family have moved to Germany to help design a new resort for Herr König (Dan Stevens). König immediately takes Gretchen under his wing and offers her employment at his resort, with strict warnings that she should never stay at the resort after dark. But when Gretchen is talked into working the night shift all hell breaks loose when a woman clad in a hood and sunglasses starts stalking her. What does she want with Gretchen and what exactly does Herr König do in that sleepy resort of his?
Written and directed by Tilman Singer (Luz) Cuckoo is an atmospheric, off-kilter, slow-burn horror with a distinctly retro feel. To say what horror genre Cuckoo falls into would be unfair, this is a film best watched cold, but it offers a clever and intriguing new take on said genre with some intriguing world-building. Cuckoo could be set in any era. A tape answering machine provides a key emotional beat, and the film’s design takes in everything from the 70’s to the modern era. Singer delights in unsettling his audience- the movie has a quietly pervasive feeling of profound loneliness mingled with dread.
Hunter Schafer impresses as Gretchen. She’s a believable teenager which honestly sounds like faint praise but how often have you seen Hollywood get teen characters horribly wrong? They’re either unbearably annoying or being played by 35-year-olds in ponytails and knee-length socks. Gretchen is wonderfully human – overly emotional, headstrong, a bit bratty, and deeply in love with a father who is doing his best while yearning for a return to his quiet family unit of his wife and younger daughter. She’s an impulsive creature – immediately ignoring Herr König’s warnings and falling instantly in love with the first lesbian who crosses her path. Schafer is a highly watchable leading lady and she plays well off Dan Stevens.
Dan Stevens is having quite the banner year after his charming turn in Godzilla vs Kong as a very laidback monster dentist and his instantly iconic turn in the under-appreciated Abigail. Here he continues his winning streak with an entertainingly offbeat performance as a German resort owner who clearly has ALL THE THINGS TO HIDE. It’s not a subtle performance but Stevens imbues his character with such weird grubby gremlin energy it’s hard not to be charmed by it.
Henwick and Csokas are wasted in thankless roles but young star Mila Lieu is great as Alma
The sound design of the film is extraordinary – all pulsating score and shrieking discordant beats which add to the off-kilter atmosphere.
Cuckoo has some pacing issues (it’s all about the atmospheric vibes but the film would have benefitted from cutting a good 20 minutes) and slightly falls apart with a final act which sees Gretchen radically shift her priorities in a way that doesn’t entirely ring true. But even if Cuckoo doesn’t quite stick the landing there’s still lots to enjoy here.
Weird, unsettling and unusual Cuckoo cements director Tilman Singer’s growing reputation as a major new talent in horror while providing Hunter Schafer with a worthy showcase.
Cuckoo screened at the Fantasia International Film Festival.