Hatching Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Hatching Blu-ray Movie Review

I am a bird now.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III December 5, 2022

Hanna Bergholm's intriguing body horror import Hatching centers on the slow implosion of a four-person family in Finland, one that centers on vicarious parenthood, infidelity, and the turbulence of young womanhood. Domineering matriarch "Mother" (Sophia Heikkilä) is host of one of those repulsive "perfect life" blogs and in the middle of her latest video, a crow finds its way into the house and wreaks havoc on their hilariously breakable living room. After catching the bird in a blanket, Mother cruelly snaps the bird's neck and orders daughter Tinja (Siiri Solalinna) to throw it in the garbage. Finding their trash can curiously empty he following morning, Tinja tracks the wounded crow to a a nearby clearing in the woods and, finding the animal in extreme pain, reluctantly puts it out of its misery. Tinja also discovers a lone egg nearby and, feeling guilty, takes it home to secretly guard until the baby bird finally hatches.

The guilt doesn't stop there, stemming from months and years of prodding and blatant psychological abuse at the hands of her mother. Tinja's struggles in gymnastics practice are an extension of constant criticism at home, from imperfect stretching exercises to posture at the dinner table. The discovery of her mother's affair with handyman Tero (Reino Nordin) is casually brushed aside when she's told to keep the secret from her cuckolded father (Jani Volanen). Tinja's rapidly growing egg is her means of escape, as the young girl projects her worries and anxiety onto something she can actually care for and control... but what actually hatches is a hideous, skeletal bird which she keeps hidden until it escapes from her bedroom window. It returns with the decapitaded body of her neighbor's curious dog, which she hastily buries in a flower bed while being watched by younger brother Matias (Oiva Ollila).

Hatching paints a bizarre, morbidly engaging, and often repulsive picture, with Tinja taking on bird-like behavior to care for her monstrous "baby" including the regurgitation of food to keep its belly full. Their disturbing connection doesn't stop there, with the young girl even sharing something of a mental link; in particular, the creature -- which seems to be slowly evolving into a recognizable human girl (eventually also played by Siiri Solalinna in a fine dual performance) -- lashes out at perceived threats, including a gymnastics rival and others even closer to Tinja. Soon enough the violence boils over completely, as does the notion of Tinja keeping the hideous secret from her friends and family.

Its use of allegory is potent but subtle enough to make Hatching enjoyable as a straightforward horror story, one that shares similarities with the likes of vintage creature features like Alien, The Thing and, of course, the films of David Cronenberg. Its use of mostly practical effects is refreshing and often extremely convincing, allowing us the luxury of believing the bird-like character is a living, breathing part of Tinja's universe rather than a poorly-rendered distraction. The film's only mild drawbacks are its imbalanced character dynamics -- "Mother" is much too over-the-top -- and its annoyingly fatalistic ending, which feels not only predictable but almost like a sequel appeal. Both would have been eliminated by more comfortable middle ground... but even with those handicaps (assuming you agree with my opinion), Hatching still works alarmingly well in many ways and will be enjoyed by horror buffs unafraid of subtitles.

On a related note: stay far, far away from the horrid English dub on IFC Films' otherwise fine Blu-ray release. It's awful in almost every respect and turns many parts of Hatching into an unintentional comedy, although I'll certainly admit to rewatching a few scenes with the dub out of morbid curiosity. But like the film itself, the good outweighs the bad here as we're treated to a very solid A/V presentation and a handful of appreciated bonus features too.

Hatching Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This all-digital production earns a solid 1080p transfer on IFC Films' single-layered disc, which proves to be more than enough real estate for its ~2 hours of total content. Hatching offers a mixture of idyllic surroundings and occasionally nightmarish visuals, from the blog-ready home of Tanja's family to the dark woods where her egg is originally found. Only its darkest moments pose any sort of real challenge, where deep blacks and shadow detail are somewhat flattened out which is still preferable to mushy black crush, posterization, or other compression artifacts. Likewise, its colors run the gamut from vivid and appealing to muted -- there's almost no middle ground, yet both distinct halves of its visual presentation feel reasonably at home with one another. The mostly practical effects obviously blend in seamlessly, while other digital elements including intentional color grading only stand out when the situation demands it. As a whole, it's a solid presentation with only modest room for improvement but definitely earns passing marks overall.

Hatching Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Likewise, the default Finnish DTS-HD 5.1 mix impresses greatly and, due to the subject matter, likewise has ample opportunities to show off a little. That said, it pretty much covers the expected territory for a film of this type: front-loaded dialogue, atmospheric rear channel use for general ambience, room echoes, and unsettling moments, and a vaguely abstract score that ties everything together nicely. A very solid balance is achieved at key moments, heightening the calm and tension in equal measure while thankfully not sounding overcooked.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the film, as well as that aforementioned awful dub. I mean, you'll probably want to have a listen out of curiosity but I couldn't imagine anyone enjoying it non-ironically.

Hatching Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork and a promotional insert. A number of trailers must be annoyingly skipped beforehand, one by one. Extras include a few Finnish featurettes and interviews (some with English participants), all of which include forced English subtitles.

• Making of Alli the Puppet (6:12) - Director Hanna Bergholm, creature FX supervisor Gustav Hoegen, and others discuss the visual challenges and their creative solutions, with the latter even including a breakdown of the impressive practical effects and puppetry used to bring the bird-like creature to life.

• Making of SFX Make-Up (5:51) - Similar to the previous featurette, Bergholm and SFX make-up supervisor Conor O'Sullivan speak about techniques achieve for the creature's transitional stages.

• Interviews - A series of short conversations with key cast and crew members, all of whom are recorded on-set or on the road and speak about their approach to the material and their performances.

• Co-Writer/Director Hanna Bergholm (6:06)
• Co-Writer Ilja Rautsi (2:58)
• Actor Reino Nordin (2:16) - "Tero"
• Actor Sophia Heikkilia (2:35) - "Mother"

Hatching Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hanna Bergholm's Hatching is a largely effective horror film whose unsettling subject matter and outstanding practical effects give it an obvious edge over competitors, domestic or international. There's room for improvement in some of the characters and I didn't exactly care for the ending's fatalistic tone, but it's memorable enough for all adventurous genre fans undeterred by subtitles. IFC Films' Blu-ray offers a solid A/V presentation and a few short but thoughtful bonus features, two of which examine its great effects work. Recommended to the right audience.