The Voices – Review

Any fans of Marjane Satrapi’s work – which includes her Oscar nominated Persepolis, and then the follow up Chicken with Plums, will be aware of her inclination for whimsicality and her somewhat offbeat, unorthodox approach to storytelling. It’s therefore a surprise to hear that her latest endeavour The Voices, focuses in on the tragic tale of a sadistic serial killer. Though fear not, in spite of the dark narrative comes a characteristically playful and fanciful piece of cinema.

Ryan Reynolds plays Jerry, an introverted, seemingly good-natured guy who works diligently at a local bathtub factory. It’s there where he meets Fiona (Gemma Arterton), his beguiling English colleague who he manages to convince to go on a date with him. It doesn’t quite go as planned however, and poor Fiona ends up as a severed head in Jerry’s fridge. Jerry should listen to the advice of his benevolent talking dog, who wants him to steer clear of danger. But Jerry’s talking cat has other ideas.

It’s of great commendation to Satrapi that she has been able to make such a frivolous and comic production out of Michael R. Perry’s dark screenplay. However, while many would label this particular feature a comedy, it’s actually one of the more poignant and tragic films you’ll see this year, with a deep sadness that remains prevalent throughout. Much of this is down to the hugely empathetic and earnest performance by Reynolds – managing to maintain the audience’s support and sympathy despite his inclination to kill innocent women. It’s a different role to that which we’re accustomed to seeing Reynolds play, but it’s one he takes completely in his stride. Arterton also impresses as always, while much of the same can be said for co-star Anna Kendrick, who, needless to say, ends up joining her in the fridge.

The Voices is a truly accomplished piece that proves that Satrapi’s unique style is easily translatable into the English language. You may laugh and you may cry in this indelible feature film, but if there is one certainty, it’s that The Voices is not a film you’ll be forgetting in a hurry.