Naomi Watts has been in a variety of films that enabled her to exercise her skills as one of the most talented actresses of her generation. In her latest, Watts’ enamoring talent shines through even behind a covered face for 90 percent of the film. Directed by Matt Sobel from a screenplay by Kyle Warren (and based on the 2014 Australian film of the same name), Goodnight Mommy offers a detailed look inside motherhood and protecting one’s children. Taking an alternative direction from the original, Sobel’s adaptation manages to maintain the intensity while offering a more intimate approach in its storytelling. The film, supported by a great cast, delivers on the intrigue and entertainment with just enough mayhem to balance the slow reveal of its twists.

Identical twin brothers Elias (Cameron Crovetti) and Lucas (Nicholas Crovetti) arrive at their Mother’s (Naomi Watts) countryside home to spend time with her after a cosmetic surgery. With her face constantly covered in bandages, the twins sense that something isn’t quite right with their mother. After setting new and strange house rules and even picking up new habits like smoking, Elias and Lucas decide, without a doubt, that these are things their mother would never do. As her behavior continues to grow more bizarre by the day, only one thought comes to mind: The woman beneath the gauze is someone else entirely.


Sobel’s unsettling psychological thriller is a great American adaptation of an already fantastic horror feature in which two young boys’ nightmare becomes their reality. Unlike the original, Kyle Warren’s screenplay plays to the strengths of a juxtaposed examination of brotherhood versus motherhood. It is rare for these two concepts to be compared at all, but to do it well is a tall order at which the team behind the 2022 version succeeds. Through Watts’ character and Elias, the script plays around with the notion of trust in addition to one’s ability to forgive and forget, which makes for an intriguing watch that is as equally heart-wrenching.

Throughout the film, Sobel does an exceptional job building the mystery and laying a foundation of suspense and mistrust. If viewers haven’t seen the original, it will be easy to get held up with choosing a side, as Sobel effectively blurs the lines of reality and a horrifying nightmare. To pair with this vibe, Alex Weston, whose recent work on The Farewell led to the inclusion of his score on the Oscars shortlist, amplifies the ambiguous energy of the story with his score. His electronic sound works perfectly to build the unnerving atmosphere while also adequately hinting at a sci-fi component when appropriate.


When the film finally breaks free of its intimate and mysterious foundation set in the first two acts, it enables the small cast to put on an entertaining and, at times, gut twisting show. Watts is reliable as soon as she shows up covered in bandages, giving a performance that would have anyone questioning the sincerity of their own mother. But it is Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti who both steal the show and deliver the performances of the film. As the saying goes, “the devil’s in the details,” and these two effectively ensure that the details laid out by their characters will leave viewers questioning the truth to their story from beginning to end.

In the end, Goodnight Mommy contains a great balance of intrigue, shock, and entertainment. The film also captures the need for a mother’s love and truly thrives when it settles into the more intricate and intimate part of its storytelling. The cast does an incredible job conveying these underlying themes in addition to leaving enough open for audiences to interpret and figure out on their own. Like with Elias and Lucas, sometimes a child just needs his mother to shield him from emotional harm and danger. But one thing’s certain about Goodnight Mommy — it has the ability to leave viewers engrossed with heartbreak, yet comforted by the lengths a mother would go to in the name of protecting her children.

Goodnight Mommy had a limited release in theaters on September 14 and debuted on Prime Video September 16. The film is 91 minutes long and rated R for some language.