Langreview Kurzkritik English Version Fakten + Credits

Hatching ©2022 capelight pictures

A four-year development process lies behind the directorial newcomer Hanna Bergholm, who previously only released a few short films in various genres and is now also taking the leap onto the big screens with her own script. The Finnish film HATCHING actually managed to be screened at a few festivals and even celebrated its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. With an approximate budget of 3.4 million euros and a comparatively small and unknown cast, the financial prerequisites for a quality production are absolutely given.

This is what it is about

Tinja’s family lives a little isolated in a small Finnish town. Her mother is a successful blogger and always tries to capture the perfect world of her family on video and share it with her followers. Meanwhile, it is incredibly important to her to spur Tinja on to top performance and push her onto a path of success as a gymnast in the field of gymnastics, which the girl, who is just 12 years old, actually does not want at all. Something eerie draws the young athlete into the dark, nearby forest one night, where she finds an egg, which she takes home and eventually even hatches. But instead of a cute bird, a hideous monster crawls out of the shell. But Tinja immediately develops a personal connection to this something and is able to sink her anger and disdain towards her mother into the creature. It almost seems as if the oh-so-great family happiness is much more fragile and vulnerable than it appears on the outside after all.

Review

Creature horror has taken an extremely positive turn in recent years. From trashy B-movie, the genre has increasingly moulted into a subtle and suspenseful arthouse horror mix, which is attracting increasing attention, especially at the various fantasy film festivals. With films like SPRING, ANTLERS, BORDER and in some ways even SHAPE OF WATER, the genre is getting a completely new look and offers some surprising developments. HATCHING also joins this section and presents us with a film that, with a rather calm and agitated pacing, offers a story that takes place less on the screen than ultimately in analytical space and therefore offers plenty of room for interpretation. Instead of presenting classic horror elements such as jump-scares or exuberant brutality, Bergholm instead focuses on a balanced, dark and eerie atmosphere.

Hatching ©2022 capelight pictures

Similar to THE INNOCENTS, this film proves that a good genre flick does not have to be packed with typical stylistic devices, but that a precise dosage often radiates much more effect. Hatching means as much as hatching and thus hits the core of the plot pretty perfectly. Over the entire duration of the game, we watch the development of a creature from its birth to perfection and are repeatedly confronted with the most diverse developmental phases. In the course of this metamorphosis, it becomes clear that the beast has a connection with the protagonist, which is already hinted at by the glimmering of the ice when touched. The bird-human hybrid that we are presented with is obviously a fear and hate projection of the 12-year-old girl who cannot cope with the mental and physical pressure from her family and sports teammates. The whole thing is symbolised once again by the fact that the creature feeds exclusively on Tinja’s vomit.

Conventional techniques

The development of the creature is extremely well done, even if it is often difficult to see. Especially in the early stages of development, we are rarely shown the creature in its entirety. At this point, the work was mainly done with an animatronic puppet, as we know it from CHUCKY, for example. This becomes particularly clear in the somewhat mechanical movements and the very different dimensional body part sizes. As the film progressed, various performers also slipped into this figure and were provided with further special effects to create an impressive monster. Finally, lead actress Siiri Solalinna even had to mime two roles in parallel and interact with herself. In general, her acting can be classified as outstanding and shows enormous physical fitness as well as a talent for convincing performance.

Hatching ©2022 capelight pictures

The special thing about HATCHING is probably that, similar to MIDSOMMAR, it is set almost entirely in a light environment and thus does not rely on the usual hard-to-see settings. This makes it possible to let the atmosphere work in the most subtle way and almost distance itself from horror altogether. Instead, we experience more of a family drama, which takes place primarily between mother and daughter. In this context, it should also be mentioned that the father figure always seems a little out of place and looks as if he had also escaped from a trippy German crime thriller.

Conclusion

HATCHING is thus a successful little genre film that comes across as largely unexciting, but is nevertheless not for the faint-hearted. Instead of fear, the film focuses more on disgust and combines this with a metaphorical level that excellently reveals the mental state of the protagonist to us visually. Once again, Scandinavian filmmaking demonstrates a knack for subtle and precise realisation that places much more emphasis on atmospheric design rather than the usual mechanisms. Lovers of creature films will definitely get their money’s worth here despite the one-dimensional plot.

How did you like the movie?
(3 Bewertungen, Durchschnitt: 9,00 von 10)

Loading...