Tilman Singer’s film, Cuckoo, is a chilling horror story set in the Bavarian Alps, Germany. The movie discusses themes like family, romantic relationships, and women’s reproductive rights, with a scary villain called Herr König.
The film’s complex plot about a mad scientist who uses “The Hooded Woman” to capture women and breed a dangerous creature, “The cuckoo,” might be confusing in the tense atmosphere. Let’s clear up the ending, understand the protagonists’ final positions, and see what their futures hold.
At the start, 17-year-old Gretchen (played by Hunter Schafer) moves with her father Luis (Marton Csokas), stepmother Beth (Jessica Henwick), and mute half-sister Alma (Mila Lieu) to a new home in the Bavarian Alps. This resort is usually for hikers or honeymooners.
Gretchen finds her sister’s muteness annoying and does not get along with her father’s new wife. She feels like an outsider in this new family and does not want to be in Germany. Instead of joining her family, Gretchen stays in the moving van, wanting to be as far from them as possible.
Gretchen’s reluctance to accept her new family might seem like typical teenage behavior if not for what becomes clear in the film. She repeatedly calls her mother and leaves voice messages, showing her frustration and worsening situation. Her father becomes distant and reveals he sold the home she wanted to return to.
A small box with her old belongings arrives, including a cassette tape from her answering machine. Gretchen learns her mother has been dead all along, and her messages never reach her. Without her mother and with a strained relationship with her father, Gretchen feels disconnected from her family.
Gretchen’s family situation worsens when Alma is taken over by a strange noise (the call of “The Hooded Woman”). Alma attacks Gretchen, and Luis and Beth blame her for Alma’s condition.
To keep Gretchen out of their way, they give her a job at the resort’s front desk. Here, Gretchen awkwardly befriends an employee named Trixie (Greta Fernández) and flirts with a guest, Ed (Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey), who invites her to Paris. This new attraction gives Gretchen hope for escape from her current life.
Gretchen sees a chance to leave her stifling life behind with Ed. She steals money from the register, packs her things, and tries to run away with Ed. However, their escape is thwarted by The Hooded Woman, causing a crash in the woods. Ed disappears, and Gretchen’s family distrusts her even more.
The Hooded Woman, wearing red glowing sunglasses and a 1950s-style hooded rain jacket, is known as “the cuckoo” due to her parasitic nature. After Gretchen is rescued and in the hospital, Herr König (Dan Stevens) warns her to stay away from Alma. König runs the resort and has a history with Gretchen’s parents. Though he seems friendly and understanding, his true motives are soon revealed.
The strange events in the film—The Hooded Woman’s pursuit, the mysterious noises, and guests falling ill—are all controlled by König and his assistants. König is a mad scientist who uses the resort as his laboratory. He captures young women (including The Hooded Woman) and uses them to spread an ancient evil being.
The women are infected with “the cuckoo” through a clear liquid and are inseminated, losing control over their own bodies. König’s goal is to keep this evil strain alive and exert power over his victims’ reproductive rights. The reasons for his obsession with the cuckoo are unclear, but it represents the disturbing truth of men trying to control women’s bodies.
Detective Henry (Jan Bluthardt) joins Gretchen in the fight against König. Henry, who lost his wife to König’s schemes, vows to protect Gretchen. However, his protection is questionable when it comes to Alma. König is interested in Alma because she is part of his experiment and the last remaining cuckoo. Alma was conceived through the insemination process begun with The Hooded Woman.
In the final act, Gretchen, who had dismissed her sister, now realizes Alma’s importance. A final message from Alma, left for Gretchen’s deceased mother, reveals Alma’s concern for Gretchen. This brings Gretchen closer to Alma and motivates her to rescue her.
Gretchen kills The Hooded Woman and finds Alma. They try to escape, but both König and Henry want control over Alma. König wants her as the last cuckoo, while Henry wants to kill her. Alma, with Gretchen’s support, uses her powers to defeat them in a gun battle. Alma gains control over her fate, free from men’s control.
Gretchen finds Ed unharmed, and they, along with Alma, escape in a car, heading to Paris for a new life. Gretchen and Ed’s love and Alma’s newfound power bring them together as a family. Despite the evil men’s control, the sisterhood and family bond help them overcome and defeat the darkness.
In Cuckoo, the journey of Gretchen and Alma reflects a powerful fight against manipulation and control. Despite facing great odds and the sinister plans of Herr König, their bond and determination lead them to overcome the horrors they face.
By the end, Gretchen, Alma, and Ed find freedom and the chance to build a new life together, away from the oppressive forces that tried to dominate them. This story underscores the strength of sisterhood, family, and the importance of reclaiming one’s autonomy. In escaping to Paris, they not only survive but also redefine their futures on their own terms.
