Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Anna Kendrick, Gemma Arterton
The Voices
Director: Marjane Satrapi
Rating: 4/5
Marjane Satrapi grabbed my attention back in 2008 with her directorial debut Persepolis, which was a terrific political animation movie that packed a real punch.
She went on to helm Chicken with Plums and The Gang of the Jotas and now she is back with her new film The Voices, which sees her team up with Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton, and Anna Kendrick
The Voices is a movie that has been playing well on the festival circuit since Sundance Film Festival 2014 and it is set to be an indie gem this year. If you are a fan of the black comedy genre, The Voices is a film that you really should check out.
Jerry (Reynolds) works at a bathtub factory and attempts to walk the straight-and-narrow, in spite of his talking pet dog and cat trying to influence him. When he accidentally kills an attractive woman from accounting (Arterton), he hastily tries to cover his tracks.
But Jerry is beyond the reach of his well-meaning psychiatrist Dr. Warren (Weaver) and Lisa (Kendrick), the only woman he ever truly loved, and spirals into a world of violence where he ultimately finds salvation.
Satrapi has had a stylish flair in her filmmaking since she burst onto the scene with Persepolis, and that flair is well and truly on show with the dark and quite grisly The Voices.
I have to say, The Voice is a movie that I heard lots of good things about over the last few months, and it really did not disappoint. Ryan Reynolds is just terrific in the central role of Jerry - his ability to switch from totally charming to spine chillingly creepy really is terrific.
We have seen Reynolds star in some major movies during his career, but it is these indie films and smaller projects where he really seems to thrive as an action - if you haven't seen him in Buried then you really should check it out.
Don't get me wrong, The Voice is a totally mad and bonkers movie but that just makes it all the more enthralling and totally entertaining.
Satrapi strikes the perfect balance between horror, gore, and darkness with quirkiness and some great laughs - it really is a very assured behind the camera performance from this exciting filmmaker.
I like the boldness of Satrapi, who has cast actors who may not have been the obvious choice for these roles to tackle something that incredibly fresh. And she brings it all together and pulls it off beautifully.
If you are looking for an offbeat movie to enjoy this weekend, The Voices is a film that you shouldn't miss.