Finnish body horror film Hatching premieres at Sundance Film Festival

Hatching, the first feature film directed by Finnish filmmaker Hanna Bergholm, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the United States in January 2022. It screened in the festival's Midnight section, which is devoted to horror and genre cinema.

The film follows a young gymnast who lives in a spotless suburban home with a family obsessed with appearances. Her mother films their life for a popular lifestyle blog, presenting a picture of perfection to the public. When the girl finds an egg and keeps it warm, it hatches into a strange, monstrous creature that grows closer to her and reflects her suppressed feelings.

Hatching used body horror to explore pressure, image-making and the strain placed on children by parents who curate family life for an audience. It drew attention for its practical creature effects and its dark take on social media culture.

The film's themes of performative motherhood and online display later became a reference point for Feed, the body horror project starring Rosamund Pike, which draws on the same ideas about influencer families.