Undertone

Film: Undertone

Year: 2025

Director: Ian Tuason

Writer: Ian Tuason

Starring: Nina Kiri, Adam DiMarco and Michèle Duquet

Review:

This was a film that I was intrigued by. Seeing that it was A24 piqued my interest. The bit of the trailer I saw made me leery of the character that we’d follow. It also seemed to hinge on the sound design due to what the title was. I did catch this opening night at the Gateway Film Center. This is a Voyage through the FiVes watch that is also widely released for 2026. I’ve also now given it a second watch to see how it sits for my end of year.

Synopsis: the host of a popular paranormal podcast becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way.

Now for this film, we are following Evy Babic (Nina Kiri). She is back home with her mother (Michèle Duquet) who is dying. Evy does a podcast with a friend from high school who seems to live in London now. This means that Evy records around 2:30 AM due to the time difference. Her co-host is Justin (Adam DiMarco). We never see him, just hearing his voice. Their show is called The Undertone. She is the resident skeptic where he wants to believe.

For their next show, Justin received a strange e-mail. It contains 10 audio clips. He listened to the first one and thought it would be good for an episode. Evy mocked him due to his uneasiness. They decide to listen to these while recording to get their legitimate reactions. The recordings are of a couple, Jessa (Keana Bastidas) and Mike (Jeff Yung). Early into this, we hear songs and words spoken backwards. Justin thinks he hears things where Evy doesn’t believe. The recordings make her nervous and she needs a break so they decide to finish up a couple days later.

As Evy listens to the clips, her unease grows, tied to her personal struggles as the sole caregiver for her mother, who she feels she has disappointed due to her mother's strong religious beliefs. Evy makes an unexpected, perhaps unprepared-for, discovery. Her boyfriend, Darren (Ryan Turner), misses her and invites her to a party. She notices strange coincidences between the recordings and her life, exacerbated by a lack of sleep. Justin offers to help and scrap the episode, but Evy insists on finishing, even as she spirals deeper.

That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. The film's shallow story is repetitive. I’ll get into an early gripe here is that it gets a bit too repetitive. Evy and Justin record, but when we see the time, it is only for like 10 to 15 minutes before they need a break. The visible evidence and stated facts contradict the idea that they produce a weekly show, even with minimal editing. My solo shows, which I understand the effort behind, typically run 45 to 75 minutes. I wanted to clarify this point as it loses a bit of realism.

Now that I have that out of the way, the sound design is the film's greatest strength and lives up to its title. The immersive experience—such as how external sound is muffled when Evy uses headphones and the effective surround sound—holds up well both in theaters and at home. While it is slightly unrealistic that she would keep both ears covered while afraid, the sound design remains a highlight. I can also see it as old habits die hard.

Sticking with this, Evy’s deep immersion in the recordings is a strategic narrative choice. The film’s focus on auditory storytelling—via headphones and phone calls—perfectly mirrors her isolation while caring for her dying mother. This confinement and caregiver stress effectively pushed her into a dark place, evidenced by her alcohol relapse and her lie to Justin about her sobriety.

Now let’s look at the haunting. I appreciate the skeptic-turned-victim trope, though the film’s execution falters. Justin’s claims about hearing things in the audio often feel forced and contrived. The narrative would have been much stronger if the audio connections had been more directly tied to Evy’s personal struggles. I will say that with the second watch, I did hear some of the things pointed out. More would definitely strengthen this for me.

Something else is that I do like listening to recordings in reverse reveal hidden messages. This would fall into that area of needing to be cleaned up just a bit more. Its name is Abyzou which seems to be partially made up for this film but is borrowing from different demonic entities from religions of the past. I do love that. What is interesting with this are the correlations that emerge between Evy and Jessa. Plus, Evy’s mother was religious and Evy shunned this, which in theory could make her a target. I do like how things are alluded to and then manifest later.

Now this brings up the classic concept that I like to explore with movies like this. Is there really a haunting here or just our lead character descending into madness? You could make an argument for the latter. Since she is the only one who is able to move around. No one is there to verify it. I am inclined to believe that there is a haunting entity. I can’t disprove the other theory. It does seem that Abyzou is there to drive the person insane, which pushes them to do what they do. I do prefer this where we get enough for me to go with the supernatural route.

Other themes explore sound recording. Evy listens to old voicemails of her mother, finding the sound preserves the memory, despite the critique. Evy cleaning up audio clips mirrors her need to fix her current chaotic life. The clips used for the show could be seen as exploitation of trauma, using a presumed tragedy for entertainment. This highlights the power of sound: unlike sight, it is difficult to escape by "closing your ears."

Then just one more would be going back to this demon which is a 'baby-snatcher.' Jessa is pregnant. Evy's guilt over failing her mother suggests inherited trauma, reluctant motherhood, and defying religious norms.

Let’s then move away from this and go over to finish out filmmaking. I’ve already said my piece on sound design. The music they incorporated to help the atmosphere worked. I do think that the cinematography and framing are good. The use of mirrors is solid, especially with the motif of listening to audio backwards. Something that was a missed opportunity is when they’re using the whole frame to not have more shadows or seeing something. I can forgive it slightly, since the demon still hadn’t gained power to manifest but there could be a bit more.

All that is left then would be the acting performances. This is truly more of a two person show. I thought that Kiri did well. She’s the focus and seeing her breakdown the longer things go on. I wouldn’t say she’s great, but fit what was needed. Duquet is the other person we see. For the most part, she’s asleep. DiMarco grew to annoy me. His insistence that he heard things that weren't there felt contrived. Bastidas, Yung, Turner and the rest of the cast worked as voices that we hear.

In conclusion, this is an effective, if shallow, A24 psychological horror film that relies heavily on its excellent sound design to drive the narrative and create a persistent sense of dread. While the plot suffers from repetition and the character dynamic between Evy and Justin feels contrived, the film successfully explores themes of isolation, inherited guilt, and the potent, invasive nature of sound. Despite missed opportunities to fully capitalize on the demonic lore and visual framing, the movie ultimately succeeds in presenting a compelling, ambiguity-tinged descent into madness, supported by a solid performance from Kiri. It's a worthy watch for those who appreciate atmospheric horror where the unsettling is heard before it is seen. Headphones may be necessary at home to replicate the theater experience.

My Rating: 8 out of 10