Goodnight Mommy is a 2022 American psychological horror film directed by Matt Sobel and written by Kyle Warren. It stars Naomi Watts, Cameron Crovetti, Nicholas Crovetti, Peter Hermann, Crystal Lucas-Perry, and Jeremy Bobb.
The film is a remake of the acclaimed 2014 Austrian film of the same name directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala.
The plot follows twin brothers Elias and Lukas who go to stay with their mother at her countryside home after she has had major reconstructive facial surgery. Her face is completely covered in bandages, and the boys find her behavior to be increasingly erratic and unusual.
They become convinced that she is an imposter who has done something sinister with their real mother, and suspicion sets off a rollercoaster of emotional mind games and misunderstandings between the “mother” and her “children” that eventually explodes with tragic consequences.
1. ‘Goodnight Mommy’ Detailed Plot Summary
Twin brothers Elias and Lukas arrive at their mother’s countryside home, where she is recovering from major facial reconstructive surgery that has left her face completely wrapped in bandages. The boys seem uneasy about their mother’s appearance.
She explains she had cosmetic surgery and promises she is still the same person underneath the bandages. The mother, a former actress, lays down some house rules – the boys cannot enter her bedroom or the old barn on the property.
2. What Do Elias and Lukas Discover in the Barn?
While playing outside, Elias and Lukas explore the forbidden barn. Inside, Elias finds some of their old toys, as well as a suspicious bloodstain on the wall. When their mother discovers they disobeyed her, she becomes angry and declares they must now stay indoors at all times.
3. Why Do Kids Get Suspicious?
Elias and Lukas quickly notice their mother acting strangely – she ignores them, especially Lukas, drinks heavily, appears constantly angry, and refuses to sing their favorite childhood lullaby.
Elias also finds his mother threw away a family drawing he made for her. During the night, Elias overhears his mother saying on the phone that she “cannot go on pretending” and wants “him” gone.
The next day, the boys spot an old headshot of their mother with green eyes, yet her eyes now appear blue. They begin to strongly suspect this woman is not actually their mother.
4. Kids Escape Plan and Mother’s Unchanged Face
After they try to call their father for help, the mother destroys their only phone. Terrified, Elias and Lukas attempt to flee the house at night but are caught by police officers who return them to the home.
The mother has now removed her facial bandages – her face matches that of their real mother. However, the boys remain convinced something sinister is at play, and they secretly make plans to trap her.
5. Truth About Mother’s Green Eyes
The twins bind the mother to her bed with duct tape. She vehemently denies being an imposter and tells them to look for green colored contacts in her purse, which would explain her eye color change. Although Elias starts having doubts, Lukas insists she is lying. While the boys wait nearby for a taxi, Elias returns to the house, feeling guilty about leaving the mother tied up. He searches her purse and finds the colored contacts.
6. How Did Lucas/Lukas Die in Goodnight Mommy?
When Elias tells Lukas about his discovery, Lukas mysteriously vanishes. Elias runs back and unties the mother. She takes him to the old barn loft and forces him to look at the bloodstain on the wall, which is from a past accidental shooting. Sobbing, Elias remembers he had shot and killed Lukas some time ago while playing with a gun. The trauma caused him to repress the memory and hallucinate Lukas. Overwhelmed by grief and trauma, the mother had become cold and removed towards Elias.
7. What Happened at the End of Goodnight Mommy? Ending Explained
In a distraught rage, Elias lashes out and pushes the mother off the loft. She falls to her death, and her lantern ignites the barn. As Elias watches the barn burn from a distance, he imagines his mother and Lukas standing beside him, embracing him warmly and reassuring him he’s done nothing wrong.
Lukas has been a hallucination or manifestation of Elias’s trauma and guilt over accidentally killing his own brother. Once Elias accepts this truth, Lukas disappears. In a rage over having to face reality, Elias then pushes his mother off a ledge in the barn. She hits the ground, knocking over a lantern which sets the barn on fire.
The movie ends with Elias fleeing the burning barn as his mother perishes inside. The final scene shows Lukas and the mother seemingly comforting Elias outside, but this is just another hallucination indicating that Elias is still unable to truly accept what he has done. He remains trapped in his delusions with immense guilt he cannot yet confront.
So in summary – the woman was the real mother all along. Lukas was never real, he died some time ago. And Elias struggles to face this truth, which leads him to kill his mother and descend further into his fractured mental state.
The film ends on an ambiguous note, leaving the audience to interpret whether Elias survives or succumbs to the fire.
7. Why Did She Have a Face Surgery?
She was going through depression and grief after her divorce and the accidental death of one of her twin sons, Lukas. The surgery was likely part of her way of coping with trauma and “her attempt to feel good about herself”
8. How Goodnight Mommy Differs From the Original Movie?
The 2022 version of “Goodnight Mommy” differs from the original 2014 Austrian film in several key aspects, including the explicit revelation of Lucas’s death and the nature of the mother’s demise.
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“Goodnight Mommy” (2022) is a haunting film that blurs the line between reality and imagination, leaving viewers questioning the authenticity of the events unfolding on screen. Its ambiguous ending invites interpretation and discussion, while its chilling atmosphere and psychological horror keep viewers engaged throughout
