I love how you can find treats on Video On Demand that you would’ve never heard of before. The Voices featuring Ryan Reynolds is one of those treats. It had been a while since I had seen a film that made me go “What the hell did I just watch?” and The Voices did just that. There are a plethora of WTF moments and delightfully unhinged performances an visuals that make this small movie go from unnoticed to a diamond in the rough. I constantly thought to myself while watching that if this had been released wide in theaters that the average Ryan Reynolds fan (yes there are fans of his) would be aghast at what they just saw and would’ve felt cheated because no doubt the marketing would’ve played up the romantic comedy elements of the film that Reynolds is known for. Throw in Anna Kendrick’s costarring role and the sort of people who showed up to see this would’ve been disappointed. But because it came out On Demand and the more discerning movie watcher would have to seek this out it leads to a very enjoyable experience watching the subversive Romantic Comedy Horror film.
Ryan Reynold’s plays a mentally ill man who suffers from hearing voices in his head and has so for a very long time. His performance here is one of his better turns of his career alongside Buried. It helps that he has two great female leads to spur him on in Gemma Arterton, a former Bond girl, and the always wonderful Anna Kendrick. No one ever outshines the other and each has scenes where they are featured to the best of their abilities. But I will say I did think that Jacki Weaver’s role was a little out of place, but I’ve never been a fan of hers unfortunately as her performance in the TV series Gracepoint was a big letdown. Still, I’m glad they all agreed to sign onto this small little project. It just shows you that a strong script with subversive material can be attractive to even top flight Hollywood actors. The film comes from Iranian female director Marjane Satrapi, who made the Academy Award nominated animated film Persepolis, and her foray into live action is a big success. After watching A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night it seems Iranian women filmmakers have their finger on the pulse for just how to turn a genre on its ear and deliver something surprising and new.
I don’t really want to go too much into the story to avoid spoilers and honestly I probably shouldn’t have posted these images along with my review but whatever, you’ll get over it. The visuals range from typical gruesome horror film grime and dirt and dark to colorful and vibrant and twee. This is all dependent on whether Ryan Reynold’s character is who we are viewing the world through (or his character while on medication) or if we are seeing it through one of the women in the film. The movie was filmed outside Berlin, Germany but takes place in a small American town. This sort of dissonance makes the setting seem just otherworldly enough to put you on edge. For a comedy it has surprising visual flourishes and inventive editing. Satrapi wasn’t just going to deliver a formulaic piece and this is a film for a very niche audience who likes strange comedy horror. I would say if you enjoyed Cabin in the Woods you will like this. They are playing against different tropes in horror films, and this movie has the added advantage of being able to mess around with the conventions of romantic comedies as well.
If you’re a fan of off-kilter black comedies this one comes highly recommended. Do this film a favor and give it your On Demand dollars to encourage studios to back more of these small but extremely fun projects.
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