In “Goodnight Mommy”, available on Prime Video, Naomi Watts embodies a disturbing mother character, hidden behind a strange aesthetic mask. Who is she really?
Elias and Lukas are twins. They haven’t seen their mother for a long time. After a long stay in the hospital for cosmetic surgery, she finally returns home. For the two boys, it is an opportunity to visit him. But something is wrong.
His face is covered with a surgical hood. She smokes in the house, tears up the children’s drawings, dances alone in front of her mirror and lets herself be overwhelmed by outbursts of anger. Elias and Lukas begin to ask themselves the question: what if this woman was not their mother?
Goodnight Mommy is the remake of an Austrian film released in 2014 and noticed in many festivals. This American version follows more or less the same plot as the original with, inevitably, the element of surprise less. Nevertheless, it is by no means devoid of interest.
In the role of the mother, Naomi Watts is unsettling, captivating and not very reassuring. She is the spark of the film. This is not the first time that the actress has appeared in a horrific remake, since in 2002 she starred in The Ring, a successful adaptation of the Japanese classic.
Prime Video Cameron Crovetti, Naomi Watts and Nicholas Crovetti in “Goodnight Mommy”.
As paranoia invades the film, the mother figure emerges as an increasingly dangerous threat. The character is explored more in this re-reading than in the Austrian version.
Those who have never seen the original should enjoy Goodnight Mommy and its twists and turns. The others will certainly have the impression of advancing on familiar ground. Still remains the excellent interpretation of Naomi Watts.
Goodnight Mommy is available on Prime Video.