Sundance 2022 Premiere – On paper, a story about a young gymnast who watches over a strange egg until it hatches into something wild and deadly seems silly. But the execution works brilliantly. Hatching is a creature feature loaded with stunning set designs, a monstrous mother, and an engaging narrative.

Directed by Hanna Bergholm and written by Ilja Rautsi, Hatching has a lot of layers. This is a film about an imperfect family, a daughter’s struggles to please her domineering mother, and a false suburban sense of security. Siiri Solalinna stars as Tinja, a gymnast who performs her moves repeatedly in hopes of quelling her mother’s displeasure. She practices until her hands blister and bruise. Nothing is ever good enough. Sophia Heikkilä gives a chilling performance as the nameless mother. Her villainous role is both restrained and terrifying.  This is a woman who vlogs to make her family look perfect. Underneath the fake veneer, however, problems fester. Mom has an affair with a handyman named Tero (Reino Nordin). Home from practice early one day, Tinja catches them.

Family dynamics worsen when Tinja cares for an egg she finds in the forest after a bird swoops into their house and smashes fancy vases and other high-priced decors. This uncanny bird scene is the first time violence threatens the seemingly perfect home. The egg soon hatches. At first, the creature squawks and roars like a velociraptor. Yet, it also purrs when Tinja shows it affection or feeds it vomit. Eventually, it transforms into a young woman, one who looks strikingly like Tinja. She names it Alli, cares for it and hides it from her family. This is one bizarre on-screen connection and yet, oddly endearing at times. Tinja and Alli can feel what the other feels.

There are a lot of ways to read what the creature may symbolize. Is it the darker part of Tinja, the one who wants to lash out at her family? Is it Tinja’s only friend, since all her time is occupied with gymnastics? No matter the symbolism, the creature is the real highlight of the film, in whatever form it takes. The bird version looks cool, but so does the more human-like monster. The more the creature changes, eventually wearing clothes and human flesh, the deadlier it becomes. No one is safe, including Tinja’s family. All of this leads to a startling ending that also makes sense within the greater context of the film.

Hatching’s set design is flawless. So much of the clothing and home’s interior are pastel-colored. The suburban landscape is brightly lit. The color palette creates a sense of falsity, including the floral wallpaper that adorns the family’s house. Underneath the eye-popping colors and the mother’s constant vlogging lurks family secrets and various levels of violence, especially the mom’s constant belittlement of her daughter. The bright colors contrasted with the eventual gore make for arresting visuals.

Hatching is a wildly creative film. Its real monster is a controlling mother who never sees her daughter as good enough. Comparisons are warranted to Black Swan, but Hatching gives birth to its own clever storyline, stunning visuals, and strong performances. This is one imaginative and colorful creature feature.

Hatching premiered at the Sundance 2022 Film Festival.

8 Out of 10