The Voices (2014) - 6/10

The Voices is a strange little movie that I have actually seen before and remember not liking very much. This time around, I have a greater appreciation for it and some of its accomplishments. Nevertheless its only going to get a 6/10 but its a stronger 6 than most. Let's jump in.

1. Acting 

 Ryan Reynolds is one of those actors that gets accused of just playing different versions of Ryan Reynolds in every movie. I generally disagree having seen some of his lesser known movies that show his wider range. So while The Voices is not his biggest departure from the norm, it is at least playing against type. Jerry is an oddball character that is as awkward as he is charming. In that respect Reynold's nail the performance. He also has the tough tasks of keeping Jerry a sympathetic character despite the horrendous things he does and the moments where the tone of the film does a full 180. 

The supporting cast also does good work throughout the film. Gemma Arterton as Fiona plays an important role in the plot of the film. She has to be a standoffish love interest for Jerry that doesn't overly endear herself with the audience, but also doesn't turn them against Jerry. 

Anna Kendrick gets to play a more straight forward love interest than Arterton. She brings her usual likable and charming approach to the character and does a good job bringing the audience over to her side at the right point in the script. Her death scene in particular marks a very dark point in the plot and she sells it all very well.

2. Cinematography

There is actually some great cinematography in this film. I really enjoyed how they approached showing the dual sides of Jerry's life depending on the POV. From his side, everything is bright, cheerful and colorful. But when he takes his medication everything changes. Colors are muted, the setting filthy, and the visual tone completely shifts. 

There are also some really nice compositions in some of the shots. In particular the neon lit bowling alley and the moonlit scenes surrounding Fiona's death are quite pretty to look at. I also like the added effects of the butterflies and angel's wings. They're a bit silly but I like how they contrast the darker moments of the film.

 3. Production/Costume Design 

The props department seemed to have a lot of fun on this film. The deer scene for example is a fun mix of practical prop work with VFX support. The disposal method that Jerry employs is also an odd mix of visceral gore with a weird sprinkle of fun. 

But the best magic trick is the mix of makeup, prop work and VFX with the severed head work being done for the film. 

4. Writing 

The writing is definitely a mixed bag for the movie. I like how willing the film was to rapidly shift from silly dark comedy to actually chilling and dark horror. However, the shifts are big swings and it can a bit jarring tonally. They also are willing to do the same for their main character. From one scene to the next Jerry can go from being charming and likable to being completely detestable. 

I can also appreciate the script trying to make Jerry a sympathetic character. It's a tall order and they never seem to want to give up on it, even as the script begins undermining itself. It's bold and goes places other scripts wouldn't try to, or would fail at doing. Dexter is the obvious parallel here with the similar approach to having a serial killer protagonist. But Jerry doesn't get the benefit of moral high ground like Dexter does. 

The choice in victims is also a smart one for the film. Fiona is a character that is a bit obnoxious and her treatment of Jerry helps soften the blow when he eventually kills her. Giving that kill the cover of being 'accidental' is also a smart way to ease the audience into Jerry's darker side. This decision is amplified later when it comes to Lisa's death. At this point, the audience is still rooting in some ways for Jerry and the decision to make her death particularly brutal is a good way to move the film towards its conclusion. 

What maybe keeps the ceiling for this film so low for me is its finale. They could've leaned harder into the audience abandoning Jerry as sympathetic, but instead chose to give him some sense of redemption. His apparent death at the end of the film and sparing of Dr. Warren feel like too little too late. I think instead, they could've chosen two other paths: 

a. Jerry embraces that he is a killer and escapes. He starts a new life somewhere else and we see him back up to his same antics - an oddball but charming guy at work, but we get a hint that he is still up to his extra curricular activities.

b. Jerry surrenders to the police and we see him in a mental institution (maybe even in a pink jumpsuit). The tone is overly cheerful and he seems to be getting the help he needs. Then as a final button, an animal at the institution or outside the window starts to talk to him before fading to black. 

5. Sound Design 

 I didn't note anything in particular during the film. However, the end credits dance and song was a wild choice. I didn't really love or hate it. It was just neutrally weird which maybe was the idea?

6. Editing 

The film seems to keep things moving at a decent pace. It clocks in at 104 minutes and doesn't seem to have much unnecessary slop. 

7. Visual Effects

Along with the props team, the VFX team did well bringing the film to life. The talking animals in particular were nicely executed. I liked the idea of just keep the animals 'as is' from filming and choosing to just animate the mouths. It lets the audience clearly see that the animals are just normal animals and that the conversations happening between them and Jerry are unreliable narration.  

The severed heads that I mentioned earlier were also well done. I imagine it was a fairly easy composite shot of 2 or 3 different plates on top of each other. The end result was a nice mix of fake looking and clean VFX.

 8. Originality or Strength of Adaptation 

Serial killers have long been a fascination for filmmakers and audiences. I like the spin of trying to take a serial killer as a main character and then making it a comedy. This wasn't a super funny movie, but the attempt is worthy and a good spin in the sub-genre. 

9. Stunt Coordination

Nothing outstanding but executed well in the few places it needed to be. 

 10. Direction

Marjane Satrapi has an interesting body of work in film and literature. This seems like a radical departure for the French-Iranian multi-talented creative, but she clearly seems to have an eclectic taste. For this film, I really liked some of the creative choices, even if the finished product felt too disjointed to love. 

Legacy/Final Thoughts

This was a small budget film the flopped hard at the box office. Its legacy will likely be as a hidden gem for a niche audience on streaming platforms.