After the excellent romantic horror comedy "Warum Hans Wagner den Sternenhimmel hasst" (Why Hans Wagner hates the starry sky) from the previous year, Lars Henriks returns with the surreal thriller "Cordelias Kinder" (Cordelia's children).
Cordelia is the mother of two teenagers and since recently a widow, who runs a successful "intermediation" agency. We observe Cordelia trying to run a business and normal daily life, while the ghost of her late husband hangs around the house and interferes in everything. Meanwhile, the older daughter, who works for her, suspects the mother of killing the father, while the younger son starts a relationship with one of the mother's employees. There is also a secret door that leads to a surreal dimension, whose role in the story remains unclear to me.
The film looks pretty cheap, because it is, but for its budget, it was surprisingly well shot. What he lacks in production, Henriks makes up for with his versatile talent. He wrote the script himself, directed and wrote the original music for the film, and he did well in all those fields.
"Cordelias Kinder" is a family drama that develops into a thriller, with a touch of horror. But it's not the drama, thriller, and horror we're used to. The film is full of surreal moments, both in the plot and visually, and the most surreal is the atmosphere, which flirts with Lynch and Lovecraft. The story is not overly complex or complicated, but it is unusual, unexpected, and quite morbid.
The psychology of the characters is very interesting and quite successfully presented by the cast. Cordelia, played by Elena Meißner, is a seemingly strong, determined, unwavering woman, more focused on work and herself than family. Inside, she breaks down, and I think the husband's spirit is actually a reflection of her conscience. The daughter, played by Anna Berg, is cold to mother because she suspects her of killing the father. This seemingly typical capricious teenager will later show her true face, which is one of the strongest assets of the film. The son is, in my opinion, the weakest written role, and also the weakest played. There are also several supporting characters, and they are all written and played at least decently.
Until the end, I failed to grasp the significance of Lovecraftian elements. Honestly, those scenes seem to me to have strayed from some other movie and in no way contribute to the development of the story. However, I have to admit that they significantly contribute to the overall atmosphere, so even if that is their only purpose, I take my hat off to the original director's trick.
Although the film is very low-budget, the technical aspects of "Cordelias Kinder" are good enough not to spoil the enjoyment of a well-written story and an even better atmosphere. Recommendation.
7/10.
