Naomi Watts can't save a 'Goodnight Mommy' remake stripped of every ounce of suspense and imagination. horrormovies goodnightmommy NaomiWatts
One would hope that the motivation for a filmmaker choosing to remake a critically acclaimed European horror movie would be a deep admiration for the piece of work he’s now adapting for an English-speaking audience. It’s something of a thankless task, because in embarking on such an endeavor, the filmmaker would have to know that questions of “Why did this need to be remade?” will already be an inevitable hurdle.
, hitting the streaming service today as a Naomi Watts-starring remake of Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s nightmare-fueling 2014 Austrian film. New director Matt Sobel, by comparison—known primarily for the tense 2015 psychological family drama—has preserved the broad beats and plot of the original, while abandoning any of the potentially unsavory elements that made the original film an anxiety-inducing watch.
In both versions of the film, this dynamic is used to explore questions of who we are, as opposed to who we present ourselves to be.
This reticence has the effect of simplifying and streamlining the audience’s empathetic reaction to the characters, which is much more fluid in the 2014 original. Here, it feels like the desire is to clarify who we’re meant to sympathize with in any given moment, to leave nothing to chance or interpretation. One of the strongest aspects of the Austrian film is the way it compels one’s judgement to waffle back and forth on a minute-by-minute basis, up to the film’s closing moments.
As for the performances…they’re fine, but ultimately of such little impact to the overall presentation that they hardly bear mentioning. Cameron Crovetti pulls the heavy lifting of the two brothers, portraying the conflicted Elias with assured professionalism, but he too is let down by a distinct lack of imagination, an absent willingness to allow the character to explore more deranged territory.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Roger Federer announces end of tennis careerHe said he is well enough to finish his career at next week’s Laver Cup. The event pits top European players against stars from outside of Europe.
Read more »
‘Goodnight Mommy’ Review: Naomi Watts In Tepid Psychological Thriller Remake Of 2014 Austrian Horror FlickThe 2014 horror movie Goodnight Mommy was considered good enough to be Austria’s official entry into the Oscar Foreign Language Film race that year (it didn’t get nominated, though), an…
Read more »
‘Goodnight Mommy’ Review: Naomi Watts Loses Out in a Horror Remake that Dilutes the ChillsMatt Sobel reworks the 2014 Austrian nerve-shredder about twin brothers convinced the bandaged woman in their home recovering from surgery is not their mother.
Read more »
Naomi Watts, ‘Goodnight Mommy’ Team on How They Navigated Those Bandages on Set and Used Them to Up the Film’s Tension'Each take is a different take and even as planned as you make it, something can happen. Some scenes were a lot more difficult than others because of that,' Watts says.
Read more »
Naomi Watts Reveals the Real Reason She Wants to Play a Marvel VillainThroughout her storied career, Naomi Watts has been involved in a number of projects with various [...]
Read more »