Undertone Review | Flickreel

Two elements of Undertone should be commended. One is Nina Kiri’s lead performance. Undertone isn’t exactly a one-woman show, although most of the Kiri’s co-stars are restricted to voiceovers. The only other onscreen performer spends the majority of the film incapacitated. Despite lacking a screen partner to work off of, Kiri is utterly convincing as a woman who’s either going mad or falling victim to the madness closing in on her. This madness is conveyed less through the film’s visuals and more from its sound, which is the other element that deserves praise. Sound in general is one aspect of film that we often take for granted. In Undertone, David Gertsman’s sound design and Dane Kelly’s sound mixing are so meticulous that you don’t just hear a clock tick. You feel every movement of the clock hands. It’s just as effective and Oscar-worthy as the use of sound in A Quiet Place, but Undertone is more understated in its approach. Between Kiri’s performance and the chilling sound effects, a part of me wants to recommend Undertone. The film falls short, however, in a key area: the story. The film is a slow burn, and by the time we see what
Read More