{The Overlook Film Festival} Cuckoo (2024)

I caught Tilman Singer’s first feature Luz as part of Panic Fest a few years ago. I thought it was mostly long. Like really long. Also, it was a bit gloomy and too serious for my taste. Lots of my friends disagreed. I was left thinking that Tilman Singer was someone I could like given the right set of circumstances. Whelp, that set of circumstances takes place in a German resort, has a kick-ass monster and conceit, and gets a bonafide star performance out of its lead Hunter Shafer. That film is Cuckoo and while it doesn’t land every big trick, it lands enough of them that the first big film I can recommend out of this year’s Overlook Film Festival will be this aptly named creature feature (of sorts).

Gretchen (Shafer) is stuck with her father and his new family in a creepy German resort while her father works for the owner designing another resort adjacent to the one they are staying on. That new family includes a mute half-sister and an uncaring stepmom. While we don’t know what happened to Gretchen’s mom we know she would rather be back in the states with her, than on a mountain with this progressively weird group of adults. As things start to go wonky (and boy do they ever) Gretchen is stuck fending for herself. That’s all the plot you should have. Go in blind. It gets bonkers and you don’t have to wait too far into the second act to have things go completely off the rails.

There is a lot to unpack with this film. First, there are scares galore and the bicycle scene which is mostly ruined by the trailers is one of the scariest set pieces I have seen in a while. It harkens back to the bike scene in In the Mouth of Madness and that just happens to be the perfect itch to scratch for me. The movie is full of those moments. It is SCARY with a capital S and Tilman Singer dials that fear up to a ten. Hunter Shafer acts as the audience surrogate throughout most of this film. Often saying out loud what the audience is thinking. “None of this is normal”. “Why are we here?”. This self-reflection captures the petulance of adolescence while also somehow making the lead even more likable. I could follow Gretchen around throughout the entire film. She does not give a shit. She is funny but also deeply traumatised and it’s this authenticity that makes her someone we all root for. She is in almost every scene and a performance that was even one percent less dynamic would have made this movie significantly less interesting.

Cuckoo looks gorgeous. The cinematography is confident and clear and the limited use of special effects makes the entire film feel more corporeal. That being said by the third act I wasn’t entirely clear if Cuckoo wanted to tell a realistic story or wanted to be to a fairytale. The setup feels ripped from a Disney movie while the payout is uhmmmm definitely NOT that. The third act also refuses to pick a lane and as a result, the ending feels somewhat abrupt and incomplete while the rest of the movie feels like it could be about twenty minutes shorter.

The movie seems to speed towards a discussion of body autonomy while stopping short of embracing that theme. There is a subplot between a disgraced police detective and the owner of the resort played by the wonderful Dan Stevens who is twirling that mustache as fast as he can. The plot is fine. Stevens is a joy to watch as he embraces all of the malice that Herr Konig has in him. The plot itself isn’t necessary though. Gretchen doesn’t need a male figure to help guide her. She is competent and her agency is present throughout the entire film. She doesn’t need saving and there is a cut of this movie somewhere that fully embraces that discussion.

Go into Cuckoo blind. It will be worth it. I have never encountered a movie that more fittingly lives up to its title. Seeing Cuckoo with a theatre full of genre fans feels like the reason why film festivals exist. When it gets wide release see it with a group of friends at the latest possible screening. You will not be disappointed. Cuckoo gets a wide release from NEON May 3rd. You would be Cuckoo if you missed it.