The Cuckoo’s Curse 2023
Directed by
Mar Targarona
Made by
Rodar y Rodar
The Cuckoo’s Curse Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for The Cuckoo’s Curse (2023). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
A young white-collar Spanish couple, architect Marc and obstetrician Anna, arrange to swap houses with a pair of amiable older Germans, Hans and Olga, who live in Freiburg, so they can spend a few days in the Schwarzwald ahead of the birth of their first baby. The plan is simple and hopeful: a temporary exchange that promises a relaxing getaway before a major life change.
On arrival in Germany, [Hans] presents [Marc] with a hint of an ongoing liaison back in Spain involving Anna, casting a shadow over the trip and planting doubt about the paternity of the forthcoming child. This suspicion triggers a jarring accident when [Marc] crashes [Hans]’s Maserati GT and badly sprains his leg, prompting him to tell [Anna] in a taciturn, almost ceremonial tone that he will return to Spain the next day. Yet by the next morning, he regains a buoyant, almost unnaturally upbeat mood, as if the crisis had rewritten his temperament overnight.
Strange occurrences begin to accumulate. A middle-aged woman, unfamiliar to [Anna], is found trying to operate the taps in Hans and Olga’s house. When she notices Anna’s pregnancy, she warns that Anna must leave the house immediately or she will be “next.” The language barrier keeps Anna from fully grasping the danger, but a later police contact and ambulance involvement confirm that the woman is a dangerous escapee with Capgras syndrome, adding a chilling layer to the already unsettled atmosphere. That night, after attending the Fastnacht carnival, Anna experiences a vertigo and wakes later with no memory of part of the evening. She also notices a striking detail: a Fehu rune ⟨ᚠ⟩ tattooed on [Marc]’s back, which he interprets as “Freyja” and a symbol of rebirth.
Meanwhile, back in their Spanish apartment, Olga and Hans inhabit the space in a trance of ritual, wearing loose robes and repeating incantations. When Anna regains consciousness, she discovers the same rune tattoo on her own shoulder, a mark she and [Marc] now share as proof of their supposed renewal. [Marc]’s behavior shifts again—he becomes methodical, precise, and begins to speak German, a language he did not know before this trip. The couple’s growing paranoia is compounded when Anna uncovers a hidden room in the house that contains photographs of Olga and Hans. The pictures reveal a height discrepancy and show the same mysterious woman from before, suggesting a complicated, blurred line between the two households.
Driven by a need to escape, Anna tries to flee to the airport in a taxi, but is halted by [Marc], who seems to have inverted his role in the relationship and now acts to restrain her. Their conflict escalates to a brutal moment in the bathtub, where Anna nearly drowns, only to awaken with a new sense of connection to [Marc] and to begin communicating in German as he does. The inversion of power between the two couples becomes a central thread as Olga’s influence takes hold in the Spanish apartment as well.
The tension crescendos when Olga’s mind appears to return to normal in a terrifying moment of peril: she traps [Marc] in the cellar and orchestrates an accelerated childbirth using oxytocin, delivering the baby with a disturbing mix of tenderness and control. Anna, who had offered to return her body to exchange for the baby’s blood, is drawn into the chaos, and Olga fatally wounds [Marc] with scissors in a skirmish that leaves both women scarred physically and emotionally. In a final act of shocking violence, Olga bludgeons Anna with a blender, muttering in Spanish, “I never liked my nose.” She carefully wraps the newborn and speaks to it with a twisted tenderness, “I love you,” before slipping away as the police close in.
Throughout, the narrative threads between languages, rituals, and the fragile boundary between trust and fear blur the sense of safety for both couples. What begins as a routine house swap for a peaceful holiday becomes a chilling exploration of identity, loyalty, and the unsettling ways in which couples can become entangled in a silent, creeping threat. The story ends not with a quiet reunion, but with a haunting tableau of renewal and loss, as two families’ lives collide in a Brazil of emotion, memory, and the inexorable pull of destiny.
The Cuckoo’s Curse Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of The Cuckoo’s Curse (2023) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
House swap arranged for Schwarzwald vacation
Marc and Anna arrange a house swap with Hans and Olga from Freiburg so they can vacation in the Schwarzwald before their first baby is born. The plan is meant to give them a quiet break, but it depends on strangers hosting them in a different country. This setup relocates the couple into a tense, unfamiliar environment that drives the story.
Arrival in Freiburg; suspicion whispered by Hans
Upon arrival in Freiburg, Hans hints at a possible liaison back in Spain, casting doubt on Anna's faithfulness and Marc's paternity. Marc becomes unsettled by the insinuation, triggering early tensions between the couple. The trip immediately takes a darker turn.
Marc crashes Hans's Maserati and injures his leg
That evening, Marc crashes Hans's Maserati GT while driving, injuring his leg. He announces he will return to Spain the next day, leaving Anna alone to manage the situation. The accident sets a physical and emotional barrier between them.
Marc's mood shifts; forgets the return plan
The next morning, Marc forgets his plan to go home and appears upbeat and cheerful instead. Anna senses something is off as his demeanor shifts dramatically. The new mood hints at deeper changes underway.
Mysterious warning woman; Capgras link
A middle-aged woman appears at the house, fiddling with taps and warning Anna to leave because she is pregnant, saying Anna will be 'next'. Anna cannot understand her warning because the woman does not speak German. The police later identify the woman as a dangerous psychiatric patient with Capgras syndrome.
Police and ambulance involvement
That evening, the events lead to police involvement and Anna's transfer to an ambulance, underscoring the danger surrounding the hosts. The incident adds to the sense that nothing about the stay is as it seems. Anna is left to piece together what she can from fragments of memory.
Fastnacht carnival; vertigo and memory gap
During the Fastnacht carnival, Anna experiences a sudden vertigo and collapses, later waking up at home with no recollection of the events in between. Marc's behavior remains inscrutable in the aftermath. The memory gap intensifies the couple's paranoia and fear.
Runic tattoo and rebirth symbol
After the carnival, Anna notices a Fehu rune tattoo on Marc's back and learns he calls it 'Freyja', symbolizing rebirth. He claims the tattoo represents renewal for both of them. The discovery deepens the sense that their identities have been altered.
In Spain, Olga and Hans embrace ritualistic life
In the Spanish apartment, Olga and Hans spend their days in loose robes, reciting incantations and behaving ritualistically. The atmosphere contrasts with the couple's fragility, hinting at a malevolent influence behind the swap. Anna's suspicion grows as the house seems to take on a life of its own.
Olga murders Hans
Olga murders Hans by stabbing him in the throat in the Spanish apartment, turning the home into a crime scene. The betrayal reveals the true danger posed by their hosts. The surviving couple reels from the sudden escalation.
News from Spain; tattoos; German language
Anna receives news from Spain that the German guests behaved unusually, intensifying her concern. She also discovers the same runic tattoo on her shoulder, and Marc claims they were both tattooed last night as a symbol of renewal. Marc's demeanor continues to shift as he starts speaking German, a language he did not know before.
Anna finds secret room with photos
Anna discovers a secret room in the house containing photographs showing Olga and Hans with height differences, and one image includes the warning woman. The photos reveal the deception behind the swap and the true identities of their hosts. Anna realizes the danger is far from over.
Anna attempts to flee; Marc drowns her
Anna attempts to flee to the airport in a taxi, but Marc stops her and attempts to drown her in a bathtub. She regains consciousness and finds herself under Marc's control, mirroring his earlier altered behavior. The crime-laden atmosphere tightens as their dynamic becomes a mirror of the dangerous household.
German identity takes over; a new dynamic
Following the near-drowning, Anna and Marc adopt a German-speaking dynamic, signaling a complete shift in their identities. Marc's behavior becomes orderly and precise, mirroring Olga's influence. Anna's alignment with German speech marks a total transformation of their relationship.
Olga's regime culminates in birth and tragedy
Back in the Spanish apartment, Olga regains a moment of clarity and uses confinement and manipulation to control the situation. She traps Marc in the cellar and accelerates Anna's childbirth using oxytocin, delivering the baby with careful tenderness. In a final struggle, Olga fatally stabs Marc and bludgeons Anna with a blender, muttering that she never liked her nose, before leaving as the police arrive.
The Cuckoo’s Curse Characters
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Anna (Belén Cuesta)
A pregnant obstetrician whose longing for a quiet vacation collides with suspicions and mind games. She experiences memory gaps and a surprising shift in allegiance, gradually adopting German speech and a renewed sense of self as events spiral. Her vulnerabilities become strengths as she navigates danger and manipulation.
Marc (Jorge Suquet)
An architect who fears paternity and crumbles under pressure, then transforms into a meticulous, rule-bound partner. His mood swings, insistence on order, and enchantment with German ritual hint at a deeper, dangerous change. He becomes as enigmatic as the couple hosting them across borders.
Hans (Rainer Reiners)
A charming, older host whose cordial exterior masks a dark, ritual-minded fixation. He exerts an unsettling influence over the swapped arrangement and is eventually killed by Olga. His involvement helps drive the sense that appearances hide dangerous intentions.
Olga (Hildegard Schroedter)
A seemingly kind German matriarch whose composure masks a predatory, ritualistic streak. She orchestrates violence and control, ultimately killing Hans and attempting to claim the newborn baby. Her calm demeanor makes the horror feel intimate and intimate in its brutality.
The Cuckoo’s Curse Settings
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Location
Freiburg im Breisgau, Black Forest, Spain
The story unfolds across two main locations: a modern house in Freiburg in the Black Forest region of Germany, and the couple's home in Spain. Freiburg sits at the edge of dense woodlands and is known for its historic old town and green urban culture; the Black Forest surrounding it provides a moody, wooded backdrop. The house swap turns a vacation in tranquil settings into a stage for deception, ritual, and danger.
The Cuckoo’s Curse Themes
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Dual Identity
The narrative toys with who we are as Anna and Marc begin to adopt each other’s languages, habits, and even tattoos. The Fehu rune tattoo on both lovers signals rebirth and a new, mirrored persona taking over. As memories blur and partners veer between affection and suspicion, the couple confronts the fragility of a single, stable self.
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Marital Trust
The trust between Anna and Marc is fractured by rumors of infidelity and the unsettling German household. The exchange of homes uncovers hidden desires and a web of manipulation, turning intimate space into a battleground. As control tightens and secrets surface, the line between love and danger becomes dangerously thin.
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Rituals
The plot introduces ritualistic elements, with incantations, a cryptic symbol, and the ominous atmosphere of the German household feeding an obsession with rebirth. Olga’s violence and the birth scene are framed as ceremonial in their precision and cold affection. The setting evolves from domestic comfort to a space where ritual governs fate and life.
The Cuckoo’s Curse Spoiler-Free Summary
Discover the spoiler-free summary of The Cuckoo’s Curse (2023). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.
In a quiet corner of Spain, a young architect and an obstetrician decide to trade homes with a kindly German couple, hoping to soak up the mysterious charm of the Black Forest before the arrival of their first child. The simple premise of a vacation‑style house‑swap quickly turns the ordinary into a backdrop for something far more unsettling, as the serene countryside and the sleek Spanish apartment become mirrors reflecting the hidden currents beneath each partnership.
Marc and Anna arrive in Germany with the optimism of a couple on the brink of a new life, yet both carry quiet insecurities—Anna still feels the echo of a past liaison, and Marc wrestles with the looming responsibility of fatherhood. Across the border, Hans and Olga exude a comforting steadiness that masks their own age‑worn mysteries. Their cultural differences and the intimate proximity of living under each other’s roofs set the stage for a delicate dance of trust, curiosity, and the inevitable clash of expectations.
The film’s tone weaves together domestic routine and an eerie, almost folkloric atmosphere. Subtle cues—a stranger’s cryptic warning, the lingering scent of ritual incense, the hushed tones of a neighboring carnival—suggest that the forest’s ancient myths may be more than decorative background. Light and shadow play across the characters’ faces, hinting at secrets that could surface at any moment. The careful choreography of everyday tasks—packing, sharing meals, exploring unfamiliar streets—creates a sense of normalcy that is constantly edged by a growing sense of unease.
As the couples navigate this fragile exchange, the audience is invited to wonder how far the boundaries of hospitality and personal history can stretch before they begin to blur. The story lingers on the psychological texture of the encounter, promising a journey that is as much about the internal landscapes of the characters as it is about the picturesque settings they temporarily inhabit.
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