Voice from the Stone (2017) User Reviews

Could have been something, at least it has beautiful scenery.

[sewi-kadr · 4/10 · 14 May 2017]

This could've been something creepy mysterious good but I don't know what just happened.

Movie is overall slow, i like slow movies if they have content but this is just basically nothing going on for a good hour or so.

Emilia Clarke is a good actor, at least she gave the movie some life and reputation and i am impressed with her Italian. Other than that, do not waste your time.

This movie has absolute no content what so ever. Just some mysterious things happening here and there.

In the end you end up feeling "was that it?".

Not what I expected, at all

[mrstamarela · 4/10 · 18 May 2017]

Before watching, I thought it would be an interesting horror or ghost movie. The whole time I was waiting for something "spooky" to happen but in vain. The film is calm, slow and maybe for some - boring. Nothing valuable happens. Of course, the atmosphere, the house they live in is very nice to watch, but still, I wouldn't have watched if I had known what to expect. the only thing that I liked was the feeling of misunderstanding that the movie left in me at the end. I didn't really get what happened. I am still in a doubt, I have two versions and I think I'll be looking for more reviews to help me solve the idea of the ending

Disappointing

[nomollier · 5/10 · 29 June 2018]

I don't know why the plot has to become so lame at the end. It starts with a very promising plot with lots of eerie and mystery clouding the characters. It looks like the director wanted to just wrap up the movie ASAP by not giving the right climax at the end. The ending is, Like your mom just burst inside your room when you were just about to have an orgasms. Very very disappointing ending.

Lovely to look at, but absolutely a bore to sit through

[derekjager · 3/10 · 2 May 2017]

I think this is being mis-marketed as a ghost story but it isn't. It isn't a homage to TURN OF THE SCREW, either. Yes, it looks great, has a terrific Gothic mood, but for 30 minutes, nothing happens. Then something sort of happens but it's not ghostly...and then nothing happens and then it ends. The ending is "nice" but an hour into this film's 90 mins, I really wondered if/when ANYTHING was going to happen.

Again, lovely to look at, well-written and directed, but a bore to sit through.

Beautiful and Cold Atmosphere

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 1 May 2017]

In the 50's, in Tuscany, the nurse Verena (Emilia Clarke) is hired by the sculptor Klaus (Marton Csokas) to help his son Jakob (Edward Dring) that does not speak since his mother Malvina (Caterina Murino) has passed away. Verena befriends the old housekeeper Lilia (Lisa Gastoni) and tries to connect to Jokob, but the boy usually hears his mother from the wall of the old family house. Along the days, Verena feels attached to Jakob and falls in love with Klaus, but she finds that Malvina is trapped in the house by Jakob.

"Voice from the Stone" is a dramatic film with supernatural touches in a beautiful and cold atmosphere. The performances are top-notch highlighting the gorgeous Emilia Clarke. The dubious story is open to interpretation since Verena might have been affected by either madness or the ghost of Malvina. The cinematography is magnificent in a dreamlike environment. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Well that's a boring movie

[deloudelouvain · 3/10 · 28 July 2017]

A thriller with Emilia Clarke? Sounds good to me. But after ninety minutes there was only deception left. There is no way you could qualify this movie as a thriller so I wonder why IMDb puts it in this category. It's a Gothic drama, and a boring one. It's all nicely shot and the acting isn't that bad but the story is oh so boring. You constantly hope something interesting will happen but let me spoil it for you, nothing significant to make the story better happens. Emilia Clarke is a delight to watch in Game Of Thrones but in this movie she can do whatever she wants, if the story is bad you can put whatever actor in it, it still is a bad movie. I thought about stop watching this movie after an hour but I sat it through in the hope something would change but unfortunately it didn't. Boring drama.

I am very picky, but I liked this one good enough

[c_a_simone · 7/10 · 2 May 2017]

Personally, this movie had my interest through out. I think this film attracted people not accustomed to period drama's and hence the poor rating on IMDb. I love period dramas and this one was as decent as any other. Was it a perfect film? No, but it still entertained me. Bonus is I could not guess the ending, it had a good twist. Still not sure if she was entirely taken over or had to share her body with the soul of the boy's mother. Did leave me with a bit of a sinister feel, if that mother took entirely over the woman.

Don't listen

[smoke0 · 2 May 2017]

As another reviewer stated, this is reminiscent of The Others, but without the atmosphere, mystery or characters that defined that film. I love Emilia Clarke, but even she can't create something out of nothing.

Maybe with a different director who could tell a story and create a world this movie may have worked, but overall it's just boring and uneventful, and the film is so completely detached from the characters that their actions and situations come out of nowhere and go back there again with no explanation. Is it a happy ending or a sad ending? Who knows and ultimately, who cares?

so afraid i almost .......................fell asleep.

[watcher2019 · 3/10 · 5 January 2021]

Silly nonsense which made little sense. If you have an hour and a half to spare amd nothing to do this is for you. A poor imitatation of a ghost story. It went no where.

Stylish, but a bit slow

[tylerdurdennnn · 7/10 · 3 May 2017]

Verena, a rehabilitation nurse, tries to help the young boy who has fallen silent since the sudden passing of his mother, but it turns out she needs help just as much as him.

Voice from the Stone is a handsome, old-fashioned film. Horror elements are kept to a minimum, so fans of haunted-house movies may be disappointed, especially since the trailer suggested otherwise.

Emilia and Marton do great job portraying their characters, and Edward Dring (Jakob) is also really impressive in his complex role.

Nothing happens!

[Fem1982 · 2/10 · 12 June 2018]

The first 20 minutes of this film are fine, starting in classic gothic style. However, Emilia Clarke generated very little likability as Verena and I cared even less about Klaus and Jakob. The concept that the stone held certain power was extremely shallow in how it was presented. I was bored watching this film and only continued watching in the hope that something exciting/scary/emotional/heartwarming might happen in the end. Nothing does. I wouldn't recommend this film. Watch Crimson Peak or The Awakening instead. Neither of those are amazing but they're a great deal more entertaining than Voice from the Stone.

Very Entertaining!

[jon-stokes21-539-17875 · 8/10 · 28 June 2017]

It's a wonder why up and coming stars like Emilia Clark even risk doing movies in the horror genre, its viewers are the most difficult to please. Not only will people have high expectations because of her Game of Thrones Fan base, but psychological horror movies without blood and gore nearly are almost always labeled boring, or they're accused of doing the same old tricks that have been used before in several movies before it. It's almost impossible with a win as an actor or actress.

I thought this movie was suspenseful,it kept me guessing throughout the entire film, and I thought Ms. Clark did an excellent job portraying her role.I'd certainly recommend this film!

Stone hard ... or was it head

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 11 October 2020]

Horror thrillers with twists are something that will entertain and keep some viewers in suspense while others may feel bored and annoyed. Especially during the parts of the movie that may feel slow. Emilia Clarke who came to fame with Game of Thrones is decent enough in this, but if you're not a fan, you might not even care for her character.

Generally it is tough to connect with a lot of things happening and character decision taken. Since this is horror, it is to be expected, but still some will not like what they get served here. Overall a good effort with a nice twist towards the end and neat resolution (one might say) ...

Mediocre ghost story at best

[Bohemian81 · 5/10 · 28 April 2017]

WARNING: rigged positive votes. (movie had average rating of 8 when i checked)

Sadly most movie studios these days try to rig the votes in their favor. If you don't know already it's best to click on the 'number of votes' under the main score and watch the voting breakdown page. Here you can easily assess when the voting is rigged. When a movie is just released and already it has lots of perfect 10 votes you know it's fake! So don't fall for it.

About the movie: it reminds me of 'the others' with Nicole Kidman only not remotely on the same level. Overall it's really slow and uneventful. The story a bit weak and predictable. The acting OK but not great. It falls into the category of seen it all a 1000 times before.

Location and set pieces are nice but that's about it. definitely style over substance.

A poor excuse for a director to get Emilia Clarke naked

[Fredvs79 · 3/10 · 16 July 2017]

I caught this movie because my GF wanted to see it. I went in without knowing what it was about, but was pleased to see Emilia Clarke was in it. The original premise seemed intriguing, and the setting and cinematography sets the mood for what could have been a very capable ghost story /haunted house movie. The characters are introduced and the scene is set, and then.... nothing. Unfortunately, the pace of the movie slowly plods along, with nary a bit of suspense or fright. No spooky scary things go bump in the night, the characters just bore the audience to tears. If it weren't for the fact that Emilia Clarke is beautiful, I can't see how anyone would spend more than 20 minutes watching this. To make matters worse, her supporting actor is a child who has not a single line of dialog the entire movie (until the very very very end). Most of the movie the two of them just go around listening to holes in walls, to which there are no strange voices, or eerie whispers, just silence... There is also a groundskeeper who doesn't talk very much at all, and the boy's father- one character that does have some lines to deliver. He actually seduces the lovely Emilia Clarke to model nude for him while he sculpts a life-size rock into a statue of her (with a hammer and chisel, from scratch, without any clay mock-ups) while she just lays naked for the audience to feast their eyes on. Then he has a sex scene with her - after all, her clothes are already off, how much more in the mood could she be? And that I suppose is the purpose of and only reason to watch this movie: for the director to have an excuse to disrobe an actress for a gratuitous nude/sex scene, and to see Emilia Clarke naked, which without it would make this movie a 1 star.

Not what I expected, but definitely worth watching

[javiadrados · 7/10 · 1 May 2017]

If you expect a horror movie, this is not the case. Rather than a regular movie, I would say that some of the clips contained here are performed with horror parts.

The movie follows a story line but you won't be able to discover the most interesting part until the end, which kept me watching it, otherwise I would have stopped the movie in the middle.

Worth watching if you don't have any other titles to see.

Nothing much going on

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 14 March 2019]

VOICE FROM THE STONE is yet another updating of the classic ghost story about a governess brought in to help a maladjusted child and his lonely grieving parent. This time around the setting is Tuscany, which is never really utilised to its full extent, although we do get some old-time Italian stars in support including Lisa Gastoni and Remo Girone. Sadly, the film is somewhat haphazardly written, never really getting going despite ample opportunity to do so. I don't mind slow burners but this has little atmosphere or depth to sustain it. Emilia Clarke does her best but still feels like she's acting, rather than fully inhabiting her role, while Marton Csokas has little to work with.

A Haunting Thriller with Romantic Undertones

[danaelambros · 7/10 · 27 May 2017]

Go see this movie for Emilia Clarke's wonderful performance and the haunting atmosphere. Clarke proves that beyond her Game of Thrones fame, she has the acting chops to continue with a great acting career after GOT ends. I loved the atmosphere in this film. However, had the script been stronger, and the direction tighter, the film would have been outstanding. It seems this film will either please or disappoint; it's that kind of film. The moody cinematography sets the tone under mostly overcast Tuscan skies as the young, British nurse Verena (Clarke) comes to the ancestral castle of the recently-widowed sculptor Klaus (played by the excellent but underrated actor Marton Csokas), and his troubled son Jakob, who "hears" his mother's voice in the stones of the house. As this was Eric Howell's directorial debut, I think more credit should be given to what he has achieved; however, where this film falters is the script writing and pacing - perhaps due to the director's lack of experience. That being said, this movie will not be everyone's cup of tea. The slow pacing is deliberate and is an important part of the story, creating mystery and suspense. The history of the house and its somewhat bizarre traditions on which it was built adds a lugubrious tone to the film. As the film builds to a dramatic crescendo, the clever play between reality and fantasy, the sensuality of stone and candlelight, unexpressed desires and dreams, leaves the viewer wondering where reality ends and fantasy begins. I found the last third of the movie very suspenseful. However, the script and direction falter when the movie takes on a more romantic and sensual tone between Verena and Klaus. It could have been more believable had that relationship been better developed in the script as well as reducing one or two scenes between Verena and Jakob. I really thought the love scene was beautifully, sensuously filmed using ab interplay between flesh and the sculptor making stone into flesh. Verena struggles to help Jakob speak after many months of silence and the viewer starts to question whether the story is only about Jakob's struggle, or Verena's, or Klaus' pain - or all three of these elements: is she meant to "cure" Jakob or is she meant to be cured? Too many films nowadays leave you with more answers than questions. I liked that this film does not provide clear answers, which adds to the mystery and moody, romantic feeling that are its hallmarks. Is the ending a figment of Verena's imagination? Will she succumb to the "voice in the stone" ? - or is the ending real ? The viewer is left to make that decision for themselves. As a final note, it is nice to see Marton Csokas play a different role than the usual villain/killer types he seems to be often typecast as: He is an untapped talent, in my opinion and I hope bigger and better roles await him. Csokas makes the most of his lean dialogue and is very believable as the somewhat remote but bitter, grief-stricken Klaus - struggling to understand his silent, traumatized son. I give this somewhat uneven film debut two thumbs up for the acting and atmosphere alone.

Disappointed

[kushina3 · 4/10 · 23 July 2018]

The first half is nice and watchable, but the second part of the movie was a disappointment for me. In that part many things are happening very fast and in chaos, and it just gets stupid.

On top of that it is a very slow movie, predictable, and not very special in any way.

Ghost or Madness

[quothage · 7/10 · 24 June 2017]

I feel like Voice from a Stone explores a story with two types of ghost, those that manifest themselves as remembrance of those we've loved or lost, and those that appear to us simply as impressions in the mind. As a result Voice from the Stone is a classic ghost story, but delivered delicately, free from action, jump scares and overt drama, but rather a gentle move toward a somewhat predictable end of a slightly slow story.

I wasn't convinced of Emelia Clarke's acting or character early in the film, all too reminiscent of her most famous role, eyebrows waggling around like they have a mind of their own - but it felt like as the film grew so did her character. Marton Csokas played the typical brooding, morning, gruff and elusive male / father figure excellently and with support from other members of a small cast the film can only be described as well acted.

I'm never too sure what to say about cinematography - all I can say is the parts of the landscape we do see, the house itself are magnificent. Tuscany is a most beautiful part of Europe, and the implied age of the location adds depth to the mystery that propels the story.

Overall, I expect the film is not going to suit everyone, it's by no means a great - but never the less a good ghost story well worth a watch.

Lovely scenery can't hide the boredom this film creates

[benjackson-42952 · 3/10 · 26 September 2018]

When watching this film you are constantly drawn to the amazing scenery that is in most scenes, but that's a good thing because most of the time the film is so boring. A lot of the time it feels like it's trying to be a modern "shining" but fails on every level.

Beautifully Shot Understated Ghost Story

[jburtonprod-802-759029 · 8/10 · 8 February 2018]

This is an old school Gothic, slow burn, ghost story in the style of 'The Innocents'. This movie is beautifully shot and the directing has a very confident hand. It's hard to believe both the Director and cinematographer are relatively inexperienced. Director, Eric D. Howell has the majority of his credits as a stuntman and the DP, Peter Simonite's are mostly in the production dept.

The movie isn't as well written or executed as 'The Innocents' but it definitely deserves a better rating than what it's getting here. It's a very ambitious movie and while it does fall somewhat short, I would rather see a movie that aspires to be something more, than the brain-numbing, Michael Bay type, cineplex fodder that gets pumped out, today.

There are some scenes that look like a work of art. The atmosphere is very rich and while the movie doesn't quite satisfy it's still engaging once you get used to the pace. I recommend this movie for what it tries to be more than for what it achieves. If you are fan of Gothic stories that may (or may not) have some supernatural elements then give this movie a try.

a cool setting

[ferguson-6 · 6/10 · 28 April 2017]

Greetings again from the darkness. A painful death bed scene and a teary-eyed child saying goodbye to their beloved caregiver kick off this film that immediately downshifts to a deliberate pace after those two emotional peaks. The first feature from director Eric Howell is adapted by Andrew Shaw from Silvio Raffo's novel, and it excels in delivering atmosphere and visual unease created by the stunning setting of a fogged-cloaked Tuscan castle that is itself a key character in the film.

Emilia Clarke ("Game of Thrones"), and those expressive eyebrows of hers, stars as Verena, a rehabilitation nurse who specializes in helping traumatized children. Verena is spunky and confident as she arrives at the Gothic-esque home of artist/sculptor Klaus (Marton Csokas) and his son Jakob (Edward Dring). It's been more than 7 months since the death of his mother (Caterina Murino, Solange in Casino Royale), and also since young Jakob last spoke even a single word. Verena expects to succeed where other nurses have failed.

1950's Tuscany is beautiful despite, or maybe because of, the dreary and minimal natural lighting and the mysterious elements of the ancient castle and surrounding forest and stone quarry. It's also a bit creepy and that allows the measured pace of the story to work – it comes across as we are going through the slow process with Jakob and Verena. Well, it works until it doesn't. The character shifts for Verena and Klaus occur too abruptly – almost as if pages in the script were skipped. Both transformations seem out of place with the film and are jarring to watch … and not jarring in the way that we expect from a suspense thriller.

Most won't be surprised at where the story goes, but just in case, no spoilers will be discussed here. It should be enough to state that the look and feel of this one should appeal to those who enjoyed such films as The Others, Rebecca, The Sixth Sense, Crimson Peak, and the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. The execution of the story might not be at that level, but the atmosphere and mood certainly are. Oversized sculptures, life-sized portraits, an untouched death bed, and even a grand piano allow for more texture than any cheap jump-scares.

Gothic, romantic, supernatural suspense thrillers are pretty tough to pull off, but even getting close allows for some cinematic viewing pleasure. As an added bonus, the lovely score from Michael Wandmacher never screams at us, and Amy Lee (Evanescence) delivers a beautiful and fitting song "Speak to Me" as the film ends.

The movie left me "stone" cold. A waste of nice scenery.

[MidwesternViewer · 2/10 · 20 December 2017]

Disappointing. Not a thriller, any suspense scenes have no payoff. It may be a subtle ghost story but too subtle for its own good. The movie is slow to develop, the ghostly elements are supposed to seep in as you're lost in the atmosphere, but it shifts focus unexpectedly and awkwardly. The scenery was nice, including Emilia Clarke, but the movie seemed like another opportunity for her to get naked to get more viewers. I wish she would stop resorting to this. She's cute and captivating, the only reason we watched the whole thing, but it wasn't worth it. Her character, supposedly an experienced child therapist, mildly arrogant, is actually pretty inept with children which had me losing sympathy for her. The leading actor, who was not terribly impressive as Celeborn in LOTR, not terribly impressive here either, had a perpetual forced scowl and a sullen brooding demeanor that got old, until they later attempt to do some sudden character development on him as the characters are changing, but its too little too late. There was too much of a distraught kid that keeps running away over and over ad nauseum, I guess his endless running away was a technique for taking the viewer through the scenic environment but it got irritating. There are two other characters on site that are mainly for ambiance and don't pan out into much. The mother's character wasn't very well developed either, but depending on how you look at the plot maybe it didn't need to be. So if you like spending time watching Emilia Clarke and other nice scenery and don't need a whole lot more, you might like this movie. It could be summed up as "nice isolated scenery, a kid keeps running away, and Emilia Clarke gets naked again". I wish the voice from the stone had whispered to us to skip it, or at least not expect too much. PS: I should probably give the movie a little more than 2 stars, but I got tired of seeing 10-star reviews saying "Ooooh its gothic!! and subtle!!! and subtly gothic!!". Firstly, there's a difference between "subtle" and "boring", and while it may have been gothicesque I never really felt much depth to it, a quiet corner of Hogwarts would've been better immersion.

Waste of time for you who seek logic in a movie.

[mag-105-879025 · 2/10 · 10 September 2017]

Spoiler alert. Everything about this movie would be great but there is one huge thing what makes it not worth it. There is no logic. Did she make sex with him or she didn't? Did he start falling for her or not? There is a long list of confusing stuff, even the ending is unclear. I was disappointed and angry when it was over. I wish I'd never seen it.