Monster Fest Weekender Film Review: Hatching
Images courtesy of Monster Fest.
Hatching (known in its native tongue as Pahanhautoja) is a Finnish horror/fantasy film directed by Hannah Bergholm in her feature-length debut. Following a seemingly idyllic family as the daughter (played by Siiri Solalinna in a fantastic first performance), winds up raising a grotesque creature with whom she shares a telepathic connection, the film uses horror as a vessel to explore themes of vanity, coming-of-age, and beauty, while also offering up a healthy dose of criticism aimed squarely at family vloggers.
While that may sound like a tonally confusing mix of elements, Hatching largely hits the mark when it comes to its lofty aspirations, though not always landing the bullseye. As we’re introduced to Tinja (Solalinna), the mommy-blogging Mother, pest of a brother Matias, emotional welcome mat Father, and eventually, Mother’s lover Tero, the film paints an all-too-familiar picture: an outward representation of the “perfect” nuclear family, which quickly falls apart as soon as its threads are pulled at. Mother is trying her damnedest to live vicariously through Tinja as she constantly pushes her daughter in gymnastics, while also controlling both the children’s clothing and hair to the point where the two look like miniature doppelgangers for their parents. Offering up an ethereal, dream-like experience that’s offset by its propensity for gross-out moments of black humour, the film truly shines in the lead up to, and reveal of its creature’s first form.
Playing off a little less like The Fly and a little more like a twisted version of E.T., our introduction to the bird-like Alli (affectionately named so after a lullaby), is genuinely magical. The predominantly practical approach taken to the creature’s appearance is astonishing; as much of a body horror & monster movie fan as I am, I haven’t seen effects this convincing in a long time. The design of the thing is excellent, walking a fine line between creepy and cute. Unfortunately though, after the halfway point, we get a noticeably less inspired look for Alli, seemingly hampered by budget as it takes on a more humanoid appearance, even if it does play well enough into the film’s themes of identity. Around this point, the film appears to run out of steam, veering more and more into cliché and delivering less and less on the horror it teases.
While it seems like the feature may have played better as a short, thanks to its great ideas and excellent first-half momentum, it still largely feels like a success. Hatching is undeniably unique; a veritable fruit basket of dislocated ideas that come together surprisingly well to create an artful narrative. It almost seems surprising that, in a film this strange, one could be left wishing things got even weirder.
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Hatching screened at the Monster Fest Weekender on Sunday 8th May, and is screening in cinemas from the 26th of May. For tickets to Hatching and more info, click here.
