FilmSnobReviews

Title: Voice From the Stone
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Eric Dennis Howell
Starring: Emilia Clarke, Marton Csokas, Edward Dring
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins

What It Is: When a young Jakob (Dring) goes mute following the death of his mother Malvina (Caterina Murino). His father Klaus (Csokas) has hired several nurses to cure his son of this ailment. When Verena (Clarke) arrives she thinks that there’s something going on with young Jakob. Something to do with the stone in the wall. Jakob can hear the crying voice of his mother within those walls. Or can he? Perhaps it’s a misconception of the mind. This is what Verena needs to know to be able to help this child.

What We Think: This is one of the slowest moving pieces I’ve seen in some time. That really caused the film to be boring and bogged down. No one gives what you’d call an exceptional performance. It’s all just really dull. The film has a cool “look” and cinematographer Peter Simonite does what he does best. Makes really boring films look really nice. See he has worked with Terrence Malick on this year’s snoozefest Song to Song. There’s not a lot to say about this except that the best part of the film was the credits. Literally, the song “Speak to Me” by Amy Lee of Evanescence fame is absolutely beautiful and haunting. The effect the film was going for…the film failed.

Our Grade: D-, If not for how beautiful the film looks it’d be a complete failure in every category. It lacks interesting characters, an interesting script or anything else to say really. Based on a book I’ve not read the film definitely, doesn’t have me running to Barnes & Noble to purchase this thing. Emilia Clarke, you will always be my Khaleesi but here you’re just a bore, once again like you were in Don Hemingway, Terminator Genisys and Me Before You. Some cast this talented actress in something good, please!