"Goodnight Mommy" ("Ich Seh, Ich Seh") (2014) is a chilling and darkly foreboding psychological horror story from Austria that follows 9 year-old twin brothers, Lukas and Elias (Lukas and Elias Schwarz) as they grow increasingly distrustful of their own mother (Susanne Wuest).
Returning to their remote lakeside home after undergoing cosmetic facial surgery, the heavily-bandaged mother acts uncharacteristically aloof and often cruel to her sons—castigating Elias repeatedly while ignoring Lukas altogether. As the boys begin to suspect that an imposter has replaced their beloved mother, they hatch an illicit plan to incapacitate and interrogate her without mercy—intent on unveiling the true identity of the mysterious intruder.
Written and directed by Austrian filmmakers Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala ("The Lodge"), this German-language thriller crackles with trepidation as it ekes out a deeply compelling tale of suspense and revelation. Franz and Fiala perfectly balance empathy for the children with awareness that they may be allowing their collective imagination to run wild. Extremely well constructed and imbued with razor-sharp tension, it's one of the finest horror-suspense films of the past decade.
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