Undertone (2025) Dir: Ian Tuason

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This A24 produced supernatural horror film, directed by Ian Tuason, originally debuted in July of 2025, but, as is almost always the case, didn't get a theatrical releases until months later. It didn't blow critics away, but its premise still intrigued me to a degree, enough for me to use a free cinema ticket to go and see it, at the very least. Even so, it seemed sensible to keep fairly low expectations in mind for the film, regardless.

There was some very simple but effective camerawork, which helped build suspense through the use of negative space, slow zooms, focus, as well as cleverly panning to and from the action - or perceived action - in order to draw the audience's eyes to a particular space. I was very aware of its effectiveness, particularly in regards to myself as a viewer, as I scoured the back of shots or the dark spaces on the screen, looking for something that might or might not be there.

The sound design was more interesting than scary, but I appreciated what was being attempted, through the manipulation of volume, sound density, and, ironically, undertones. The film didn't do anything new per-se, but it did at least try to present itself in a different way. I also was very appreciative of how well the film used its shoe-string budget to maximise its horror, without going over-the-top. I do think some of the features - mainly the drawings and the lights - came across as a little bit cheesy, but the various other aspects worked much better.

The narrative had some intriguing elements, but I'm not convinced they all meshed together as succinctly as I thought they might initially. I really liked the way some of the threads of the two main arcs tied together, but it was often the moments where the film was trying to pay-off all the suspense it had built up that failed to deliver. I think the film tried to do more than it needed to, ultimately. The best moments of the film were the ones that kept it simple and tight. When things got more typically supernatural, the film was far less scary.

Nina Kiri had a lot to do in this film, being on-screen almost constantly, but I think she did pretty well. There was the occasional moment where it was a little too obvious she was acting rather than reacting, but, on the whole, I think she was able to elevate the suspense of the piece quite effectively. I loved how she interacted with the supine figure of her on-screen mother - it's a challenging thing to do, but she was up for the challenge.

You only ever hear the voice of Adam DiMarco in the film, but he did fairly well to bring character and emotion to the role, for the most part. He did over-act a little bit towards the end of the film, but not so much so as to ruin the relevant scenes, I don't think. Michèle Duquet didn't actually do much, but the few parts of her performance that did require a little more from her were done pretty well, I thought.

Overall, I think this was, on the whole, a really solid horror film, which cleverly used camerawork and sound to create a strong level of suspense. However, it was ended up doing far too much, when simpler, more concise, execution would have suited it better. That and some slight pacing issues aside, this film worked well for me. I certainly felt tense, and whilst the film's climactic scenes didn't necessarily hit as well as those before it, I was still fairly satisfied by the overall product.