Synopsis:
12-year-old Tinja is desperate to please her mother, a woman obsessed with presenting the image of a perfect family. One night, Tinja finds a strange egg. She hides it, keeps it warm. When it hatches, what emerges is beyond belief.
What We Thought:
For whatever reason foreign horror films, especially out of Europe, are more miss than hit for me so I wasn’t sure what to expect from Hatching. After watching it, I kinda dug it. It has strong performances, strong effects and a good vibe.
It’s the effects that stand out the most for me. It has a good use of practical effects for the creature. The creature adapts throughout the film and the special effects team does a great job changing it through its life. I won’t spoil what it starts out as and what it ends up as, but it has cool effects.
Then there is the acting. The young girl playing the main lead is great. It’s a Finnish movie so I’m not familiar with anyone in the cast, but the young actress handles her role(s) tremendously and holds your attention throughout. The mother character is also pretty solid. The brother and dad are there more for the background, but work well too. I was really impressed with the young actress though.
I really liked the vibe and tone of the film too. It keeps you on your feet. You’re not quite sure how far it will go and how far the daughter character will take the secret. You’re also not sure how far the mom will go with her fake perfection, her pushing of her daughter and how she’ll handle it if the secret comes out.
Hatching was a nice surprise. I grew up on practical effects so I appreciate their use here. The cast works well and I liked the story. For a film I knew nothing about I had fun with it.
The Nerds Templar 