Mental illness has played a big part in the art of storytelling at Sundance this year, with Frank, Infinitely Polar Bear and now from the director of Persepolis, Oscar-nominated director Marjane Satrapi brings us the offbeat comedy of the year appropriately titled The Voices.
This genre-bending film is nothing like I've ever experienced. This is where things get weird"” like Cabin in the Woods weird where you take a fairly predictable premise and flip it on its head. If it's done effectively, the audience will be rewarded for their patience.
Ryan Reynolds plays Jerry, a seemingly charming young man with a happy-go-lucky attitude. It starts like a typical rom-com where Reynolds meets a pretty foreign girl, played by Gemma Arterton, at work. He then asks her on a date; she stands him up; he helps her in distress later that night. Sounds cliché right? After a horrible Greek-like tragedy happens to a certain co-worker, Jerry finds sanctuary at home above an abandoned bowling alley where he seeks advice from his roommates. Except, his roommates are his pet cat named Mr. Whiskers and his dog Bosco, both who can talk to him. We soon learn Jerry suffers from schizophrenia and isn't taking his medication against his doctors (Jackie Weaver) wishes. Without giving too much away, the film goes down a dark, dark path, and Jerry's pets give him life-changing advice about what he should do with his life.
Maxime Alexandre, who handles the cinematography, does a phenomenal job, creating a distinct duality in the film, switching between Jerry's schizophrenic world and the world of everyone else around him. It is strikingly beautiful and unlike anything I have seen before. Then there is the direction from the very talented director Marjane Satrapi; she has a strong grasp on tone and colors in films. Between Her and The Voices, I can't decide which set direction had a bigger impact on film the last half year or so. Reynolds easily gives his best performance channeling his best Norman Bates/Ned Flanders impersonation. A very tightrope to walk on, but Reynolds is a very underrated actor who currently has some of the best range in the business.
All in all, people will be divided on The Voices because it challenges its audience to take a good look at schizophrenia and mental illness and humanizes it in the form of the very charming, lovable and soft spoken Jerry played by Ryan Reynolds. It's a love-it or hate-it kind of film, and I'm lovin' it. Mark my words: this film will be a cult classic in the next 5 to 10 years in the same vein as Rocky Horror Picture Show.
