“And no one dared Disturb the sound of silence.” Simon & Garfunkel
Just when I thought I had seen all the possible variations of horror film, I suddenly see a worthy entry with few if any of the usual tropes and minimal explanations. Undertone, nevertheless, satisfies intellectually as it demands you listen to the undertones of the soundtracks for clues to why the protagonist, Evy (Nina Kiri) should be scared.
She’s a popular paranormal podcaster playing soundbites from an anonymous donor about a couple and their troubled child. Not your garden variety shrieks for the ten bits but subtle messages that need to be played backward to get anything meaningful. That’s where the film is worthwhile when it suggests motifs relating to everyday life, especially birth and death with dying a constant reminder of the end to come. However, you must listen carefully for the clues.
Interspersed is the constant image of Evy’s dying Mama (Michèle Duquet) in bed, mostly as daughter does worthy duty to whisper to Mom of love when later it’s revealed that things have not been always sweet. In addition to the death presence, the sounds from the tracks Evy and her pod mate, Justin (Adam DiMarco voice), analyze in the podcasts are almost inscrutable.
Accompanying the gnarly background sounds of the tracks are the repetitious shots of crucifixes and a wandering mini statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, all suggestive of the harrowing Exorcist images that terrify rather than soothe. The religious underpinnings are just part of the challenging pattern nestled in the sounds barely silent.
Undertone is unlike any other folk horror film as it requires attention to sounds often dismissed as background noise but upon scrutiny reveal layers of human and spiritual significance. Just don’t expect the clarity of The Quiet Place franchise or tradition jump scares—there’s much more to be discovered.
Undertone
Director:Ian Tuason
Screenplay: Tuason
Cast: Nina Kiri (Out Standing)
Length: 1h 34m
Rating: R
John DeSando, a Los Angeles Press Club first-place winner for National Entertainment Journalism, hosts NPR’s It’s Movie Time and Cinema Classics as well as podcasts Back Talk and Double Take (recently listed by Feedspot as two of the ten best NPR Movie Podcasts) out of WCBE 90.5 FM, Columbus, Ohio.Contact him at JohnDeSando52@gmail.com