She Came at Night

The mother-in-law is bitter, even if she were made of sugar. A cheaply and quickly made social and intergenerational statement. A horror in the sense of an invasion of personal space by burglars and energy vampires, where everyone is a victim and even the seemingly unclear are antagonists. What if the antagonist was also the one who, caught between two millstones or generally facing any problem, refuses to resist because it's easier to whine? There are toys on the floor, but they're smashed. Crocs, mustard, and a plastic bag from the grocery store... (02/22/2024)

She came at night, entertained a little, stirred up trouble, and prepared the ground in the form of a great atmosphere. She left for a moment and stopped at the lobotomy, and it wasn't enough for her, so she took a stone and hit herself in the head several times, and the creators nicely messed with the audience. That's how it could be summarized, or how to go from a brilliant black comedy that gives you chills to absolutely unbelievable, bizarre, and stupid art in the form of the final act. I had to hold myself back a lot not to give it one star less because I hadn't been so angry leaving the movie theater for a long time. A truly wasted opportunity to focus on an unexpected and entertaining subject. (01/22/2024)

The best Czech comedy of recent years, She Came at Night elevates the theme of warped family relations to a world-class level by associating itself with elements of more disturbing genres such as horror and the home-invasion thriller – a genre built on the oppressive premise that the intimacy of the main protagonists’ home will be disrupted by an intruder from the outside. In this case, that intruder is the inconsiderate, manipulative, touchy, self-pitying and emotionally extortionate, though also tragically lonely mother, who forces her way into the apartment that her son shares with his girlfriend. The filmmakers made the absolute most of a simple idea, modest resources and an intimate setting. The film is based on familiar and precisely observed dialogue and situations arising from familial cohabitation, whose unpleasantness rises to absurd levels. The narrative is systematically conceived so that every scene offers comedy and anxiety at the same time and can be interpreted metaphorically as a probe into the issue of failing intergenerational communication. The intertwining of these two tonally different moods, when eruptions of loud laughter frequently and regularly alternate with intense chills down the spine, works seamlessly and harmonically in She Came at Night. (01/04/2024)

She Came at Night is a black comedy that transposes family and relationship experiences into an almost horror film based on the simple anecdotal premise of your mother-in-law coming for a visit, and the joke and the surprise work perfectly. Most likely the most interesting and entertaining Czech film of the year. [KVIFF 2023] (08/30/2023)

Like The Owners, She Came at Night relies on a fairly mundane theme, but one that the makers take their own way and serve up an unusual humorous piece that gives you chills, all the more so because it can relate to many of us. The film stands above all on the phenomenal, playfully theatrical performance of Simona Peková, who almost steals the whole thing for herself, and surely many a viewer recognised in her the mother of her dearly beloved half – although it is true that the film is a lethal cocktail of the most toxic qualities cumulated in one person. I was a little puzzled by why I think it’s an unfinished ending. I must not forget to praise the distinctive score. (11/26/2023)