Voice from the Stone

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source: Voice from the Stone

Go see this movie for Emilia Clarke's wonderful performance and the haunting atmosphere. Clarke proves that beyond her Game of Thrones fame, she has the acting chops to continue with a great acting career after GOT ends. I loved the atmosphere in this film. However, had the script been stronger, and the direction tighter, the film would have been outstanding. It seems this film will either please or disappoint; it's that kind of film. The moody cinematography sets the tone under mostly overcast Tuscan skies as the young, British nurse Verena (Clarke) comes to the ancestral castle of the recently-widowed sculptor Klaus (played by the excellent but underrated actor Marton Csokas), and his troubled son Jakob, who "hears" his mother's voice in the stones of the house. As this was Eric Howell's directorial debut, I think more credit should be given to what he has achieved; however, where this film falters is the script writing and pacing - perhaps due to the director's lack of experience. That being said, this movie will not be everyone's cup of tea. The slow pacing is deliberate and is an important part of the story, creating mystery and suspense. The history of the house and its somewhat bizarre traditions on which it was built adds a lugubrious tone to the film. As the film builds to a dramatic crescendo, the clever play between reality and fantasy, the sensuality of stone and candlelight, unexpressed desires and dreams, leaves the viewer wondering where reality ends and fantasy begins. I found the last third of the movie very suspenseful. However, the script and direction falter when the movie takes on a more romantic and sensual tone between Verena and Klaus. It could have been more believable had that relationship been better developed in the script as well as reducing one or two scenes between Verena and Jakob. I really thought the love scene was beautifully, sensuously filmed using ab interplay between flesh and the sculptor making stone into flesh. Verena struggles to help Jakob speak after many months of silence and the viewer starts to question whether the story is only about Jakob's struggle, or Verena's, or Klaus' pain - or all three of these elements: is she meant to "cure" Jakob or is she meant to be cured? Too many films nowadays leave you with more answers than questions. I liked that this film does not provide clear answers, which adds to the mystery and moody, romantic feeling that are its hallmarks. Is the ending a figment of Verena's imagination? Will she succumb to the "voice in the stone" ? - or is the ending real ? The viewer is left to make that decision for themselves. As a final note, it is nice to see Marton Csokas play a different role than the usual villain/killer types he seems to be often typecast as: He is an untapped talent, in my opinion and I hope bigger and better roles await him. Csokas makes the most of his lean dialogue and is very believable as the somewhat remote but bitter, grief-stricken Klaus - struggling to understand his silent, traumatized son. I give this somewhat uneven film debut two thumbs up for the acting and atmosphere alone.

Not a thriller/horror/mystery as it is billed, but a beautiful, luscious Gothic. Emilia is gorgeous and talented as always and the supporting cast does a very good job with their roles. Moody, atmospheric, lush period Gothic. If you engage and make it to the end, it will leave you thoughtful - as all the best gothics do. Daphne DuMaurier and the Bronte sisters would gobble it up!

"The dead don't speak....as hard as we may wish them to." This is an achingly beautiful and haunting story about a young governess hired to help a boy who has been traumatized since his mother's death. Her efforts continue unsuccessfully while her attachment to him grows. She feels the only way to help him is to try to experience what he is experiencing. It begins to work, much to the tortured father's displeasure. He cannot understand why everyone can hear his dead wife but him. She also converses with Lilia, an old caretaker whom she later learns has been dead the whole time. The ending is very clear as to what transpires. There is no confusion if you have been paying attention. This reminded me a great deal of Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca, in it's grief combined with classic Gothic horror elements. I really enjoyed this, and found it different than anything I have seen in quite some time. It does move slowly.

I don't get the negativity towards this movie at all. I was hesitant to go see it because of the bad reviews it's gotten and then decided to give it a chance and boy am I glad I did. I think the main problem, right off the bat, is that the movie has really bad marketing. I think people are going into this movie thinking its going to be a balls to the walls horror movie filled with freaky, gross, or supernatural things that will scare the living hell out of them. The movie, I suppose, might seem slow to people who are expecting that over substance, story, and character. But, guess what, this movie is a Gothic romance to its core and if you have a child its going to hit you like a ton of bricks because its all about the love of a child. A family that's been, possibly, irretrievably broken by one of the single biggest losses a family can endure and the unconditional love one person (Emilia Clarke) has been able to provide to children and families that have endured trauma despite her own loss and lack of connection or family. Its set in the beautiful Italian countryside in a place that, if it were not so real, would seem unreal. It just drips atmosphere. The second stand out performance is the father (Marton Csokas) who has withdrawn into an angry and bitter person at the loss of his wife and the inexplicable disconnect with his boy. He doesn't seem to understand why his child has withdrawn and, I guess, after several attempts at helping him, seems to have almost given up on not only himself but the boy. Enter Emilia Clarke. Her character instinctively understands what the kid is feeling and how not to treat him. She is thrust into a really disturbing family dynamic and fortunately, she has the acting chops to pull off what I don't think most actresses could have, a real empathy towards this kid that transcends the script or filming. She has the same dynamic in Game of Thrones with children and just shines in this movie. I won't spoil the ending, but I will say that if it had a slightly different ending it would be the perfect movie. The ending seems to pander a little to the marketing people who felt that things shouldn't or couldn't have a definitive ending. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but it really felt out of place to the rest of the movie and I would love to hear the people who made it discuss this so I could understand it a little more. That tiny, little almost insignificant thing aside, this movie is a classic. Its not a horror movie at all, its a romance. A statement about what a family is. To the detractors and the haters, go hate on something else. To those willing to step into this movie with the expectation you are going to be given a lot more than blood and guts, but something with real substance I applaud you for having real courage. This is the first time I have ever written a review about any movie and that says a lot in my mind.

A thriller with Emilia Clarke? Sounds good to me. But after ninety minutes there was only deception left. There is no way you could qualify this movie as a thriller so I wonder why IMDb puts it in this category. It's a Gothic drama, and a boring one. It's all nicely shot and the acting isn't that bad but the story is oh so boring. You constantly hope something interesting will happen but let me spoil it for you, nothing significant to make the story better happens. Emilia Clarke is a delight to watch in Game Of Thrones but in this movie she can do whatever she wants, if the story is bad you can put whatever actor in it, it still is a bad movie. I thought about stop watching this movie after an hour but I sat it through in the hope something would change but unfortunately it didn't. Boring drama.

Greetings again from the darkness. A painful death bed scene and a teary-eyed child saying goodbye to their beloved caregiver kick off this film that immediately downshifts to a deliberate pace after those two emotional peaks. The first feature from director Eric Howell is adapted by Andrew Shaw from Silvio Raffo's novel, and it excels in delivering atmosphere and visual unease created by the stunning setting of a fogged-cloaked Tuscan castle that is itself a key character in the film. Emilia Clarke ("Game of Thrones"), and those expressive eyebrows of hers, stars as Verena, a rehabilitation nurse who specializes in helping traumatized children. Verena is spunky and confident as she arrives at the Gothic-esque home of artist/sculptor Klaus (Marton Csokas) and his son Jakob (Edward Dring). It's been more than 7 months since the death of his mother (Caterina Murino, Solange in Casino Royale), and also since young Jakob last spoke even a single word. Verena expects to succeed where other nurses have failed. 1950's Tuscany is beautiful despite, or maybe because of, the dreary and minimal natural lighting and the mysterious elements of the ancient castle and surrounding forest and stone quarry. It's also a bit creepy and that allows the measured pace of the story to work – it comes across as we are going through the slow process with Jakob and Verena. Well, it works until it doesn't. The character shifts for Verena and Klaus occur too abruptly – almost as if pages in the script were skipped. Both transformations seem out of place with the film and are jarring to watch … and not jarring in the way that we expect from a suspense thriller. Most won't be surprised at where the story goes, but just in case, no spoilers will be discussed here. It should be enough to state that the look and feel of this one should appeal to those who enjoyed such films as The Others, Rebecca, The Sixth Sense, Crimson Peak, and the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. The execution of the story might not be at that level, but the atmosphere and mood certainly are. Oversized sculptures, life-sized portraits, an untouched death bed, and even a grand piano allow for more texture than any cheap jump-scares. Gothic, romantic, supernatural suspense thrillers are pretty tough to pull off, but even getting close allows for some cinematic viewing pleasure. As an added bonus, the lovely score from Michael Wandmacher never screams at us, and Amy Lee (Evanescence) delivers a beautiful and fitting song "Speak to Me" as the film ends.

It's a wonder why up and coming stars like Emilia Clark even risk doing movies in the horror genre, its viewers are the most difficult to please. Not only will people have high expectations because of her Game of Thrones Fan base, but psychological horror movies without blood and gore nearly are almost always labeled boring, or they're accused of doing the same old tricks that have been used before in several movies before it. It's almost impossible with a win as an actor or actress. I thought this movie was suspenseful,it kept me guessing throughout the entire film, and I thought Ms. Clark did an excellent job portraying her role.I'd certainly recommend this film!

As another reviewer stated, this is reminiscent of The Others, but without the atmosphere, mystery or characters that defined that film. I love Emilia Clarke, but even she can't create something out of nothing. Maybe with a different director who could tell a story and create a world this movie may have worked, but overall it's just boring and uneventful, and the film is so completely detached from the characters that their actions and situations come out of nowhere and go back there again with no explanation. Is it a happy ending or a sad ending? Who knows and ultimately, who cares?