After hearing the good reviews of Hatching (Finnish: Pahanhautoja) (2022), I immediately watched it just now. It's a story about a teenage girl Tinja who decided to hatch an egg from a big crow out of sympathy and then this option changed her family henceforward. At first, it's just like a prototype of the family drama in a horror way as The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017), revealing how a perfect and flawless Finnish family became into an ugly, impure and morally degenerated one. From utopia to dystopia, from function to dysfunction. And this type of setting had constantly reappeared in recent horror films. That's why I think the plot of this film is simple and its screenscript can't be praised as the most creative one, but the storytelling, editing and makeup are ok. The acting part is awesome and incredible to make me stunned. Just remain a pity that some visual effects are too fake.
That is, Pahanhautoja has two traditional horror elements like some of horror films: The first one is making/hatching and then destroying the monster, it can be traced from Frankenstein (1931) to Gremlins (1984) or Aliens (1986) (in a different way); the second one is the original human fear of replacement, it shares the same fearful point as "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" series. And there's one film close to Pahanhautoja is Splice (2009), including the whole course of hatching, destroying and replacing. The difference between them is that Splice is about sex and propagating, its replacement is about the biologically social-substitution; but Pahanhautoja is about innocent violence and self-disclosure, its replacement is about revealing the subconsciously existence.
On the surface, it seems that Alli is the dark side of Tinja, growing up from Tinja's vomits and negative emotions (her nervousness and anxiety to the gym competition). Look into the deeper aspect, Alli is the symbol of the unconscious mind of Tinja. She reflected in accordance with Tinja's mental status so they shared an action connection with synchronicity. She did all evil deeds that Tinja was afraid but eager to do, causing Tinja to be extremely worried and anxious at all. Like one sharp fragment cruely tearing the hypocritical life, Tinja and Alli had to be appear in the same place at the same time, out of the dark closet, completing their self-disclosure. Hence the interaction of these girls and her family increased the tension of this film.
Though Tinja holded the terrible attitude toward Alli and still blamed her and tried to destroy her, she knew that their life is connecting through an attentive hatching. If Alli died, she died too. In the final scene, Mother incautiously stabbed Tinja and went to a breakdown. Soon the body of Alli sitted up after receiving Tinja's blood and recepting all of her exterior (and interior). The film goes to an open end.
Is she Tinja or Alli ?
Refer to some endings of horror films, I would choose Alli or their life is combining to ONE. Because it's a whole course of replacement and life issues of an individual's life. Just like humans especially fear the one who is alike with their appearances and they have to confront these mental conflicts for good. From the self-disclosure of these two girls to Alli's replacement, it means that Tinja accepted the other side of her and the FEAR soothed and "LIFE" would go on.
The concept of this film is ok. So I score it "7".
That is, Pahanhautoja has two traditional horror elements like some of horror films: The first one is making/hatching and then destroying the monster, it can be traced from Frankenstein (1931) to Gremlins (1984) or Aliens (1986) (in a different way); the second one is the original human fear of replacement, it shares the same fearful point as "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" series. And there's one film close to Pahanhautoja is Splice (2009), including the whole course of hatching, destroying and replacing. The difference between them is that Splice is about sex and propagating, its replacement is about the biologically social-substitution; but Pahanhautoja is about innocent violence and self-disclosure, its replacement is about revealing the subconsciously existence.
On the surface, it seems that Alli is the dark side of Tinja, growing up from Tinja's vomits and negative emotions (her nervousness and anxiety to the gym competition). Look into the deeper aspect, Alli is the symbol of the unconscious mind of Tinja. She reflected in accordance with Tinja's mental status so they shared an action connection with synchronicity. She did all evil deeds that Tinja was afraid but eager to do, causing Tinja to be extremely worried and anxious at all. Like one sharp fragment cruely tearing the hypocritical life, Tinja and Alli had to be appear in the same place at the same time, out of the dark closet, completing their self-disclosure. Hence the interaction of these girls and her family increased the tension of this film.
Though Tinja holded the terrible attitude toward Alli and still blamed her and tried to destroy her, she knew that their life is connecting through an attentive hatching. If Alli died, she died too. In the final scene, Mother incautiously stabbed Tinja and went to a breakdown. Soon the body of Alli sitted up after receiving Tinja's blood and recepting all of her exterior (and interior). The film goes to an open end.
Is she Tinja or Alli ?
Refer to some endings of horror films, I would choose Alli or their life is combining to ONE. Because it's a whole course of replacement and life issues of an individual's life. Just like humans especially fear the one who is alike with their appearances and they have to confront these mental conflicts for good. From the self-disclosure of these two girls to Alli's replacement, it means that Tinja accepted the other side of her and the FEAR soothed and "LIFE" would go on.
The concept of this film is ok. So I score it "7".