The Goat and Her Three Kids (2022) User Reviews

Horror? Yes

[blaudroid · 8/10 · 26 March 2023]

I, myself, am a big fan of horror movies. I watch different movies, and I am used to the big directors like James Wan. Thus, many horror movies nowadays are poorly done despite the big budget they get.

This film proves the contrary. Despite it having a low budget, this film managed to give me some goose bumps. I am pretty confident that's because of me, as a romanian born and raised child, knew the story of The goat and her three children by Ion Creanga as being a children's story and now in this film the tragedy and the horrors of having your children massacred by a psychopath is portrayed very well.

Maia Morgenstern plays her roll impressively well, and Marius Bodochi is the perfect character fit for a psychopath which can really induce some fear.

The video quality can be better. The camera is sometimes too shaky. But having to consider the low budget, they had to work with what they can.

Sound quality, I cannot complain. There are some reviews which I cannot understand. The sound was almost a perfect fit, and it fitted every scene almost perfectly. There are some discrepancies, but you can easily overhear them.

You need to keep in mind that this film is not a Hollywood production film, nor has the budget of movies like ones by James Wan to meet the expectations of western productions.

Now, on the theme of dialogue. Yes, it's true that this film lacks dialogue and build up and, most important, it lacks the motive of having the children murdered.

In the fictional story, the three baby goats are being murdered because wolves eat goats. In this film is not clear enough why would the so-called "godfather", murder the babies of the goat.

Me personally, I think we should not think about this film as the three kids to actually portray the three baby goats, and the mother as being the goat. Instead, we should look upon it with the idea that a psychopath lusts towards the mother and wants to have a sexual relationship with her, and by being rejected by the mother on the first encounter, the "wolf" murders the two children as revenge for the mother not offering her body to his sexual needs. If you look at the film with this idea in mind, then you have your motive, and all of this makes sense. If you have the original's story motive in the head for the duration of the whole film, you will be disappointed.

Anyway, this was a great watch, definitely not a waste a time, and I would love to see more horror/thriller movies from romanian producers / directors.

Have fun watching!

Karma is a b***h

[Radu_A · 8/10 · 11 April 2023]

The story by Creanga upon which this is based is essential reading in elementary school and a cautionary tale for children which has been adapted many times, perhaps most famously in the rock musical "Mama" (1976). This is a fond memory for many Romanians, so quite a few will be peeved to see it turned into a folk horror piece (like the infinitely worse Winnie the Pooh gore).

But I am from Transylvania and the story made sense in the past as there are many small farms scattered in the countryside which used to be targeted by thieves. Also, there are lots of stories about people turning crazy in our long winters, so this somber uptake is more on point than city dwellers may believe. We invented werewolves, after all (not vampires, they're from Serbia). The finish is how the story actually ends so it's more brutal than Little Red Riding Hood.

Maia Morgenstern is an icon of 1990s cinema, her best known film is probably "The Oak" (1992) by Lucian Pintilie but she hasn't done much in the past years, this is a great comeback for her.

One of the best pieces of Romanian cinema (that I've seen))

[raduapsan · 8/10 · 24 August 2023]

Movie trigger warnings: bullying, sexism, (mild) domestic abuse, sexual assault.

Number of jumpscares: 0.5 (literally barely a jumpscare once)

Review: Honestly one of the best pieces of Romanian cinema I've seen until now, and just a really good horror/thriller movie. It captures really beautifully what it meant to live in the 19th century rural Romania, along with the accurate traditional house, cutlery and clothes.

The two main actors are absolute legends, and the kids do an amazing job.

The filming is pretty well done, with very desaturated colors pushing the difficult lifestyle of the poor family.

Editing is decent, a few fast cuts here and there, but nothing to be offended by.

Sound design is pretty good, the soundtrack being played on traditional instruments, only note would be that at times you can't hear the dialogue due to the music being quite loud.

All in all, a pretty dope watch, biases aside, a solid 8/10.

Spectacular

[teo_yo_yo_yo · 10/10 · 3 September 2022]

The stories of Ion Creanga are an obligatory read for every Romanian kid. We grew up with his tales, one of the most famous being Capra cu trei iezi. Only later, as adults we truly understand this is hardly a children's story and more a horror/thriller one. Victor Canache and his team did an amazing job on this story, honoring Romanian folklore yet bringing a breath of fresh air on a tale as old as time. The music creates and eery setting and contributes to the thrill. Maia Morgenstein is incredible as always and Marius Bodochi's rendition of the wolf is guaranteed to scare the **** out of anyone. Congrats and we are looking forward to more from the director.

deserving, at least, a well done

[Kirpianuscus · 31 March 2023]

In my case, the kick to see this film was the hard work , the impressive perseverance of Victor Canache to make it. A beautiful effort, two well known Romanian actors, two local boys from village offering a decent job, one , Antonio Gavrila offering a nice surprise for his good acting and inspired music and cinematography.

It is adaptation, faithfull in good way to a so familiar folk story by Ion Creanga. A story absolutely creepy in details, part of many Romanian childhood memories.

I am far to consider this film a masterpiece or be very critic about it. I am doubts than it is a real horror. Yes, the dialogue sounds not so good but , being a familiar one, it is just difficult to impress. But it represents more than good intentions. It is, in essence, a good first step , the potential of Romanian folk literature, fairy tales or balads being just generous.

Is it a orror ? I am not real convinced about this few scenes being more crowned by my smiles.

But it is more than a decent film and, for few reasons, it can be defined as temerary.

It is a honest perspective about social realities, offering decent portrait of single mother of isolated place, the realistic image of alliance relative hoping conquer the heart of widow and, rejected being, his terrible, sadistic revenge.

In some measure, the revenge, against fate, against the answer of woman affecting the ego of pretender, the revenge of painful mother are the basic pieces defining this film.

The good memory, for me, about the film, is represented by the first scenes - the fire affecting the grenary as first sign of a story of sufference.

The kids are just good, maybe better than Maia Morgenstern and Marius Bodochi, captives of their theatral skills and front to not very easy text for its stringency.

Critics - the mixture of pieces of popular clothes from different regions of Romania. The cross on wall, covered by blood and Lupul making a gesture who reminds shfeshtania in Greek Orthhodox confession , having the status very closed by blasphemia in this case.

In hort, with not so reduced reserves, a sort of well done for Victor Canache and his team, for their significant sacrifices to made this film .

Good drama, bad horror.

[TheMustardNerd · 7/10 · 8 April 2023]

Capra cu trei iezi is a romanian horror period piece featuring Maia Morgenstern and directed by Victor Canache.

This is an adaptation of the iconic fairytale from Romania 1875 by Ion Creanga. But unlike other fairytale adaptations, it's a much darker and adult take on the story.

As a drama, this movie is great. The actors bring this characthers to life in an impressive way. The movie is pretty short, each scene being relevant to the plot and I wasn't bored (almost) at all. The direction is immaculate: the editing and cinematography do a spectacular job of showing this quiet, isolated setting with a dark and misterious tone. The characthers, while barely of them likeable, have nice interactions that keep you engaged to see what will happen next

But enough with the hyperbolized praises, let's talk about the worst part of the movie: the horror element. As a horror movie, this is honestly the worst the genre has to offer. Overall tense and scary scenes are ruined by corny, out of touch editing that makes the movie feel like a parody. Characthers like Nanasu feel like carichatures, because the movie wants to take ths intimidating villain and make him some blood thristy maniac that comes off more like some Batman 1965 villain, rather than an unstoppable force. Also the characters, just like I've said, are unlikeable. And not just the villain: all of them. In this movie, unless you're a mean, grumpy person or downright a piece of trash, you have little to no power in this world. The mother is always angry and mean to her kids, sometimes even to the little kid who is presented as a pure heroic underdog. And I know that her older kids are mean pieces of rubbish too, but when they're eventually killed, it doesn't really feel like they're the victims 'cause 1. They're unlikeable, non-relatable brats and 2. They pretty much guilty of their deaths. And of course I'm sorry, but if the movie put them in a somewhat more positive spot, their deaths would've felt much sadder, since the audience had an emotional connection with them.

So yeah, it's flawed, but I don't think it's bad like others say.

Folk Horror at it's best !

[ionitaalexandru-86336 · 10/10 · 1 November 2022]

Saw this movie at the cinema last night with my wife and we wore absolutely mesmerized by the amazing nature shots, the overall mood of this movie. I think this is more than just a horror story, it's a slice of the Romanian life in the mountains in the middle of nature.

I'd categorize this movie in the Folk Horror genre and it's a fresh approach for the romanian cinematography.

As a foreigner you will feel even more intrigued not knowing the centuries old folk story that we wore told as kids from generation to generation.

Enjoy this gem ! And remember: never open the door to a stranger, you'll never know what can happen.

what a movie it would have been if ...

[edw3 · 7/10 · 17 November 2022]

What a movie it would have been if ... the abuse between the three brothers had not been exaggerated, so that in the end the fact that the adults do not listen to their mother and open the door or that they were naughty is not a consequence of permanent terrorizing of the youngest brother and this aspect seemed to me excessively unnecessary ... and if the story of that family had been built more slowly and gradually, adding the element of terror and anxiety instilled by the presence of the evil godfather little by little until the climax ...and if the killing of the children had been less explicit (!) so that it would not resemble a terrorist execution (!) but at the same time allowing more graphic and longer details of the punishment of the murderer so that he would have suffered a much more severe punishment - to the public's delight?

it's more of an 8.5 which is still really good

[TheOaie · 9/10 · 5 November 2022]

I went into this movie with my only expectation being good cinematography and stayed for everything else.

(I should mention, this is *not* an exploration intro Romanian folklore or traditions which is why many people, other Romanians, don't like it. But opinions are split. Without the bias this is a good movie)

It's a great movie that definitely overcomes its small budget. There's no monster more terrifying than human nature and I think the psychological horror here shows it quite well.

The actors are really good and not even the child actors feel jarring.

I think that what most people get wrong about it is the idea that it will stick to folklore which is ultimately quite a stupid thing to expect from a psychological horror slasher. It keeps the main idea of the folk tale and frankly even though it's predictable it still surpasses expectations.

Yes it has its hiccups hence why it's not a 10/10. The child actors do have their ups and downs, some things are left a little too disturbingly vague (although this is just my personal opinion and some may see them as a good thing), and of course what I can only assume are limitations considering the budget of the movie

But comparing this to other recent horror movies this is really good. No jumpscares, no bad CGI, this movie although not perfect is very much a treat. I highly recommend it.

Could have been better

[aditot · 5/10 · 25 March 2023]

The biggest problem of this movie is that the bad guy in it has no motive to kill the children. The wolf from the fairy tale had a very good one: wolves eat goats. Marius Bodochi did a good job portraying a psychopath but even a psychopath needs a reason to kill, decapitate, eat two boys. His sexual attraction to the widow cannot be a reason for such a crime and its also pretty hilarious. The woman portrayed by Maia Morgenstern in this movie has all the qualities of a Romanian women of the past, she is brave, hard working, perfectly able to run a house of four by herself. One thing she isn't is sexually attractive.

Excelent

[olteanuvantoniu · 10/10 · 25 March 2023]

A very good film with few actors.

Very well played, the script is simple and effective.

Maybe for some who watch the movie it seems too harsh.

Ion Creanga's story is really hard, many have probably overlooked it.

I read again the story, the text in the movie is almost identical to the one in the story.

Maybe some people want spectacular effects, this movie is not for them.

I hope more films like this are made, it is needed.

The footage is very good, of high quality, despite the low budget of the film.

It is only a beginning for such films, it has been shown that it is also possible.

I watched the director's interview, it has potential.

Of course, there will also be active hatters, who probably criticize any film, nothing satisfies them.

Theatre

[arikitarukido · 2/10 · 7 January 2023]

Story wise the movie is great, it keeps all the elements of the children's story, unfortunately that's all it dose.

It feels like the dialogue was taken from the story and read by the actors and I do mean read. The short and to the point dialogue from the bead time story was enough as a child to make your imagination kindle.

Keeping the same dialogue for the movie tunnels you into a bad, recorded, theatre performance that is this movie.

Although Maia is very known for her acting career, this one is one of her weakest performance's, a good cry does not make a good actress.

I wold love to see more Romanian movies in the future.

For horror amateurs worldwide

[martinmihai · 10/10 · 26 March 2023]

One of few romanian horrors, but exceptional. The director knows exactly what he wanted: to show everyone how romanian people were struggling to live everyday, in the 19th century (but no difference even with earlier times), surrounded with traitors and enemies. Even if it's inspired from a romanian story, the caracters are transformed into humans and reveals that we are the most dangerous beings, and human nature goes hand in hand with destruction (and revenge). For a romanian who knows the story, the movie can be boring - i think, BUT, for someone who doesn't - i recommend. It's one of those horrors that u will never forget, even if it's a low budget movie without great effects. It's one for the foreigners, so if u are NOT a romanian, press play, and u won't regret it!!!

It exceeded my expectations !

[andreyutzapink · 10/10 · 8 November 2022]

Knowing the story that the movie is based on and knowing the story behind the movie, makes me appreciate this production even more.

The production quality based on the budget is amazing, they really managed to keep us right on the edge with the script and offer us visual comfort through the landscapes and representation of the Romanian countryside household.

It really was refreshing to watch a quality Romanian movie which brought back to the public eye a well known folk story with a powerful message.

And last but not least, the iconic actors were a perfect match for their roles. I would definitely not want to meet with the "wolf" by accident on the streets.

It's a 10 for me!

Very good

[bvvbrr · 10/10 · 31 March 2023]

Capra cu trei iezi (The goat and her three kids) is the best romanian movie and as romanian I hope this is the only beggining. Sound is very good with romanian traditional music (sometimes), the movie has been filmed in a beautiful place. Acting also was very good. Congratulations to Victor Canache, he did a great job and opened our doors to the world with romanian horror movies because we have horror stories to tell, balkan type. Maia Morgenstein and Marius Bodochi did a great job too. Don't watch this movie with your kid! Also not only romanians can watch this, everyone in this world can watch this movie without any problem. It's based on a story by Ion Creanga (romanian writer) but it's a good horror story.

Nothing remotely horror about it, maybe except how bad it was

[zinodaur · 3/10 · 1 November 2022]

This movie could've had so much potential, up there with A24 movies, but alas, it was wasted.

Unfortunately the writer / director must have never seen a horror movie in his life, because he thinks loud noises are what make a scene scary. There is no suspense, there is no tension, there is almost 0 action for the entirety of the movie. If it was supposed to be scary, they must've meant for any 3 year olds in the audience. There's also bad actors that think they're on a theatre stage ( a staple of romanian cinema ) with a monotone and LOUD way of reciting each line, like they're in the 1940s and microphones are still bad quality. They have no idea what it means to get lost in a character. Characters which by the way are absolutely paper thin. The story is inspired by a romanian folk story, but that doesn't mean they couldn't have fleshed them out at least a little bit. Or the story. Or do anything other than this absolute bore fest.

People at my showing were laughing and rolling their eyes instead of being tense and yelping, and I think that says it all. The 3 stars are for the archaic way of talking ( which was awfully interpreted though ) and the mountain views. That's it.

A suitable film

[ginaneagoe · 10/10 · 8 April 2023]

This film is inspired by opera of the same name "Goat with 3 kids" written by one of the most famous Romanian writers. In the film, there are some attributes of the literary work, but we can also say that there are also original elements. The action is captivating, interesting but also frightening. The surroundings, the panorama and the costumes of the actors make us think of the old times and the living of our ancestors. It is the perfect film for a man who is passionate and curious about the language and culture Romanian old. I highly recommend this well-structured and nuanced film!

I recommend this movie!

Copy-paste of Ion Creanga story, nothing new

[dragannandrei · 2/10 · 26 March 2023]

I'll give it 2 stars because the atmosphere, the tone and the sounds are pretty good, and some scenes have a little bit of suspense. Other than this, the story is exactly, word by word, like the original story, but instead of goat and wolf, it has people.

This movie doesn't bring anything new to the story. It has people but they behave exactly as in the story. The villain has no reason to kill the kids, he just do it. The director could have invented some story of lost love, betrayal, something in the past between the goat and the wolf. There is none.

The number of characters are extremely limited, basically is a movie with 5 actors. Like a theatre scene. And there are a lot of filler scenes where absolutely nothing happens, and I mean totally nothing. Like 3-4min where the goat gathers some wood in the forest. I'm sure those scenes are just to create a movie 1.5h long, and I'm glad I had some buttons to speed up the movie.

It's a romanian movie that doesn't rise above the general country level, which is light-years away from Hollywood movies, even the bad ones.

Time wasted, I'm glad I did not waste also money, since I did not watch it in the cinema.

Great, simple and explicit horror story

[oviadibest · 10/10 · 29 March 2023]

This is a perspective of old Romanian folklore story. The actors are balanced in expressing the emotion, even in the frightful moments, you can read the fear on Maia Morgenstern (known for Mary role in "The passion of the Christ" by Mel Gibson) The few horror moments are the expression of unknown danger, that we can find in real world, and for sure it happened somewhere on earth. The outfit is similar to the one that was used in that period, and all the tools and comfort is very good shown to the viewer.

I recommend this movie as a small and interesting glimpse of history, also, it shows the harsh environment that impacted our ancestors in old times. This is something that is improbable in our days, but in that past, it was very much possible.

Great dialogue

[goiceateodor · 8/10 · 29 March 2023]

It is a great movie, it is not a typical horror movie, is more dialogue / scenery oriented which is impactful.

Watch it, it is good, Maia Morgenstern is an incredible actrice.

The movie follows the traditional story of Ion Creanga, one of the founders of Romanian school. Thr story describes a widow with 3 kids. She teach them not to open the door to strangers. While she goes away the kids does not listen to her and 2 of them eventually die.

After the widow will seek revange and make sure that the killer gets what he desearve. The story was never seen as an horror one, it is told to children in order to educate them .

The movie transform the story into a horror/tragic one with impactful dialogue, i do not know how will it be translated for the english audiance, but in romanian is extraordinary.

This one got it right

[phuckracistgop · 8/10 · 28 February 2024]

For once they script a female protagonist who does what everyone should do if they get the serial killer at a disadvantage.

So I can view this as not business as usual for a change and a most delightful ending under the circumstances.

Although it was kinda obvious who wasn't going to last long when it comes to being victims of the insane neighbor. So that part was quite predictable and there wasn't any unnecessary chase scenes which is a relief.

The killings were semi-brutal but not with a over exergerated gore. And was left to the expression of the grieving mother to convey the horror that she came home to.

Horrible

[vasileestan-10440 · 1/10 · 29 March 2023]

This movie is just horrible. It's a plot imagined by a sick person. I hope he finds treatment soon. He really needs it. Ith has nothing to do with anything good in this world. I've regret watching this, it was just a complete waste of time.

Ultimately, I found myself wondering what the point of the movie was. What was the director trying to say with all the violence and disturbing content? Was there some deeper message that I was missing? Sadly, the answer seemed to be no. The movie felt like a hollow, empty experience, designed solely to shock and upset viewers. While I can appreciate the technical skill that went into making the movie, I can't say that I enjoyed the experience of watching it.

In conclusion, I would not recommend this movie to anyone. While I understand that everyone has different tastes, I truly believe that this movie is simply too unpleasant and thoughtless to be worth anyone's time. If you're looking for a movie that explores taboo topics in a meaningful and respectful way, there are plenty of better options out there. Save yourself the discomfort and disappointment, and look elsewhere for your next film.

Accuracy to the Storytale and Folklore, simply 10/10

[semoabravo · 10/10 · 25 April 2023]

I was reading some bad reviews about this movie. Some says is low budget production, others that is no reason for the wolf to kill the kids, one said that the leading actress is not sexual at all, so the wolf is having no reason to like her. Others said that some context, like history between them should have been included...Pure nonsense and I will explain why:

1. They have included several subtle references about a past between them, about him not being invited to the wedding and about her husband, "his friend". You, as a viewer, must be able to deduce the wolf's fixation for the mother, wanting his fiend's wife, and she doesn't have to look like an O. F. "model" to be wanted by, ironic, an uglier wolf.

2. There is a motivation for killing the kids, and it makes sense for the wolf because those three boys will grow up and present a threat to him. Also, no wolf will allow somebody else's kids around, and of course he wants the mother to be alone and helpless, easy prey for him.

3. I think this accuracy to the story tale approach was the wright choice and for those who can't understand that the original story is important, and all the folklore behind the story, I recommend them to watch bad Sci Fi movies and documentaries like Queen Cleopatra on Netflix...

Idiotic, senseless absurd

[CX78-I · 1/10 · 2 April 2023]

"7, 7" is an insult to the art of cinematography. There's no excuse for this movie's existence. The "genius" writer, who should give up filmmaking immediately, took an already horrific traditional tale and simply copy-pasted it with human characters. Everything happens for no reason, which is abundantly clear from the flat, overdramatic dialogue. How this script secured production funds remains one of the mysteries of Romanian cinematography. This movie is yet another shameful attempt at a so-called Romanian movie industry revival. Of course, the public is also to blame for such a nomination, as they seem to have lost their objective thinking and genuinely enjoy such nonsense.

Mmmmm... No.

[pink_me · 1/10 · 6 November 2022]

Every romanian has probably read and/or knows the story, so if you want to turn it into a horror / thriller it would take a lot more than some music and dark weather shots.

The camera movement is horrible, the director tried to put folklore, art movies, theatrical acting, drama, scenery, thriller, music, traditions, music, emotions, life advice etc into 1h30 of a very well known "kids" story. It resulted in an absolute bore that you can't possibly take seriously enough to even give it a chance.

There is no buildup, the characters are exaggerated yet very plain and I don't understand why they needed to traumatize the poor children actors. Awful, I want that 1h30 of my life back.