CUCKOO
Starring: Hunter Schafer, Jan Bluthardt, Márton Csókás, Jessica Henwick, and Dan Stevens
Director: Tilman Singer
PAIGE
With its piercing sound design and deranged approach to storytelling, Cuckoo has the style of an 1980s Italian horror film. The director, Tilman Singer, does a fantastic job behind the camera by gradually escalating the suspense and tension throughout the movie. However, despite the ambitious and eerie tone, this slow-moving horror film suffers from an overly complex and unclear narrative. Once the second act begins, the plot just kind of goes off the deep end, leaving the story disjointed. That said, even if it didn't completely land for me, Cuckoo is a strange and unique experience that some people might enjoy.
QUENTIN
I give Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens credit for making this garbled movie somewhat watchable because, despite their performances and a decent atmosphere of mysterious what-the-fuckery, Cuckoo doesn’t haven’t much going for it. The tone is an absolute mess, flip-flopping between self-serious horror and campy comedy — being generally unsuccessful at both — while the story has no desire to truly let viewers in on what is happening until some lazy throwaway exposition towards the end. Then there is the sound design. I’ve often criticized comedians (*cough* Leslie Jones *cough*) for relying on the “it’s funny because I’m loud” schtick. Apparently, “it’s scary because it’s loud” is erroneously a thing too.
ADRIANO
Cuckoo, if nothing else, shows that Hunter Schafer has the same star power and leading lady charm that her Euphoria co-stars have demonstrated over the past couple of years. Sadly, the movie's writing and pacing are utter rubbish. The tone of the film is all over the place; sometimes it's silly, sometimes it's dead serious, and sometimes the film abandons any tension it sets up for a more action-y vibe. In addition to that, the concept is total nonsense, barely doing anything to explain what's going on. Come to Cuckoo for Schafer, but not much else.
PRESTON
Hunter Schafer does a fantastic job in her acting task, demonstrating a capable range of emotions and nearly carrying Cuckoo single-handedly. However, although there are some interesting elements within the story, I am unsure what the mysterious “monsters” really are, which leaves me feeling unfulfilled. There also are some funny elements without a commitment to being a full-on campy horror film mixed with some serious moments between characters that make you wonder why they are even connecting. Overall, it presents an interesting concept that goes a little scatter-brained. Also, why is Márton Csókás even in the film?
SHADAN
I’m recommending Cuckoo solely on the strength of Hunter Schafer’s performance because I’m very impressed with what she has delivered in her first leading film role, and I hope she gets more opportunities to shine as a lead performer. I am also forever impressed by Dan Stevens’ drive to run away from his dashing good looks and commit to playing weird little freaks. Again, I hope for more in the future. Not much else about Cuckoo makes sense, though. There are surprises, but they are not pleasant. Still, I admire Cuckoo for its audaciousness, however poorly executed it may be.
KATIE
Cuckoo was one of the films I was most looking forward to this year due to the merits of its stars, Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens, and horror-thriller premise. Fortunately, Schafer is incredible as Gretchen, and her performance has me anticipating her next leading role, while Stevens is clearly having a great time as an eccentric villain, doing the best he can with the material. However, the story becomes unnecessarily convoluted, and the tone jumps between silly and serious, which lessens the impact of the scares and hinders its momentum. Despite its flaws, Cuckoo offers enough intrigue to be worth a watch.
This film was reviewed by Quentin and Paige as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival.