Finland’s bizarre film ‘Hatching’ is a mixed bag
Image: Hatching.
From Finland comes this bizarre film, best described as something of an oddity and a mixed bag, which will leave audiences asking, is this a horror flick or a thriller?
Tinja is a 12-year-old girl, who tries her hardest in competitive gymnastics to please her mother. When Tinja kills an injured bird, she takes its egg home and incubates it. The egg grows in size and the horror commences once the egg hatches.
There’s something quite sinister about this family. Tinja’s mother seems too nice to be true until she merrily and mercilessly kills a bird. Her Father seems robotic, and her brother is the most alert member of the family as he knows more about the horrific happenings going on in the house than his parents.
Unsettling From the Onset
Stylish and beautifully filmed on luxurious sets posing as the family home, Hatching is unsettling from the onset. There are plenty of jump-scare moments and it’s truly frightening and intense throughout. The special effects are realistic and affective compounding to the scary nature of the film. It’s not cheesy as many films of this genre usually are.
However, something is lost in the second half of the film. The story becomes twisted with storylines of Tinja’s mother being unfaithful to her husband while he looks on emotionlessly. Audiences may ponder why this character is even in the film as his only purpose seems to be present in his wife’s online blogs which promote what a wonderful family she is blessed with. The horror elements remain frightening but ultimately audiences may feel underwhelmed and short-changed, especially by the finale.
★★ ½
