TL;DR: A podcast host investigates disturbing audio files that start affecting her real life - it’s uneven and frustrating at times, but the second half delivers, and it’s absolutely worth seeing with the best sound possible.
A Slow Start That Tests Your Patience
Undertone is not going to be a movie for everyone, and I suspect it is going to be one of those movies people debate about for a long time, and I understand why.
It takes it time to settle into its setup, introducing Evy, her podcast, her co-host, her life at home, and that's about it, as we get scenes that stretch out, and conversations that go on a little longer than they need to.
But there’s also a certain confidence in how long it holds back, as it doesn’t feel messy at the start, just slow,. but the slowness is where people will no doubt feel the drag, and might even give up, before it starts to click into place a bit more.
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Creepy Audio Files
Nina Kiri plays Evy, someone who runs a horror podcast with her co-host Justin, played by Adam DiMarco, where their whole thing is listening to strange recordings and trying to figure out if there’s anything supernatural behind them - Justin leans into it, he wants to believe, but Evy doesn’t.
Outside of the podcast, she’s dealing with something much heavier, as her mother is terminally ill, and that weight is always hanging over everything she does, which also gives the film a more personal edge, even when the story starts drifting into stranger territory.
A set of audio files lands in their inbox, and of course, they decide to use them for the show, and at first, it’s just another episode, another mystery to talk through, but these recordings are different, as they follow two people who sound like they’re slipping into something they don’t understand, maybe possession, maybe something else.
The deeper Evy gets into them, the harder it becomes to separate what she’s hearing from what she’s experiencing, with little details that tart lining up - sounds, moments, patterns - it’s the kind of thing you can brush off at first, but it keeps stacking up until ignoring it doesn’t feel like an option anymore.
And that’s where the film finally finds its footing.
When It Works, It Works Well
There’s a point in the second half where everything just tightens - the pacing sharpens, the tension finally lands, and I realized I was completely locked in - the film stops asking for patience and starts rewarding it.
The last stretch, especially, is where Undertone comes alive, as it leans fully into its idea, letting the audio take over in a way that actually feels effective instead of a gimmick, and watching it on the big screen, I could feel the room react, and I don’t think this would land as well at home, as the sound design does most of the heavy lifting here.
The way the audio creeps in, overlaps, cuts in and out, it pulls you in whether you like it or not, and in a proper setup, it works, but on a standard TV at home, I’m not convinced it’s going to land the same way.
Nina Kiri Carries the Film
This is very much Evy’s story, and Nina Kiri is doing a lot of the work here, as she’s on screen for most of the film, often reacting to things we can’t see, or talking to Justin, who isn’t even in the room, and that kind of setup could get dull quickly, and to be fair, at times it does, but she keeps it engaging enough overall.
There’s a natural feel to how she plays Evy, especially when it comes to the more personal side of the story, which helps balance out the more unusual parts of the film, and without that, I think the whole thing might’ve drifted too far.
The Writing Holds It Back
As much as the film works in parts, the script doesn’t always help it, with a few moments that really stick out for the wrong reasons, although I don't want to spoil anything, and a couple of plot points that don't really go anywhere after they are introduced.
And then there’s the structure.
The story plays out over multiple days, with breaks between each recording session, and every time Evy steps away, the tension drops, so the film keeps having to rebuild that momentum, and it doesn’t always manage it smoothly, and I think this might’ve worked better if everything happened over one long night.
Final Verdict
By the time it all wrapped up, I had mixed feelings about Undertone, and the main one being - would this have worked better as a short film? Because it doesn’t really fully come together, especially in the pacing, and some writing choices.
But it also had it's moments, and the second half, especially the final stretch, and more than anything, it’s an experience.
So yeah, it’s flawed, no question about that, but I can’t deny that for some of it, I was completely locked in, but I am just not sure it works as a feature film.