Voice From the Stone Review | Road Rash Reviews

3 stars for this atmospheric but slow mystery.

Voice From the Stone is based on the novel “La Voce Della Pietra” by Silvio Raffo, with the screenplay by Andrew Shaw and directed by Eric D. Howell (From Heaven to Hell).

“Something inside of him is broken…”

Voice From the Stone is set in Tuscany in the 1950’s and features some beautiful and haunting settings.

Verena (Emilia Clarke – Me Before You, Terminator Genysis) is a nurse who specialises in the care of traumatised children. It is a lonely existence, she moves in with family and gets to know them, heals the child and then moves on to the next job.

Her current role is to be with a family in a remote and imposing castle. Jakob (Edward Dring – In the Coat’s Pocket) is a troubled young boy who hasn’t spoken since the death of his mother seven months previously.

His father Klaus (Marton Csokas – Lord of the Rings, xXx) has tried numerous nurses, but Jakob’s persistent silence has driven them all away.

The castle is very sinister, the butler Alessio (Remo Girone – Live by Night) is suspicious and very unhelpful and Klaus seems to take a very harsh stance with Jakob. Verena wishes to offer a softer approach, but is nevertheless determined to make him speak.

As she learns more about their history, it becomes apparent that she has been somewhat deceived. The house has been in the family of Jakob’s mother Malvina (Caterina Murino – Casino Royale) for 1200 years and was formerly a very important quarry, which she allowed to flood after finding a career as a world renowned pianist.

Jakob is obsessed with the walls of the house and the stone of the quarry and is constantly to be found with his ear pressed to it, listening. Verena fears his problems are too severe for her to deal with and is also fighting a growing attraction for Klaus as she battles to save this family.

Voice From the Stone is a very atmospheric film, filled with autumn forests, falling leaves and a sinister foggy Tuscan castle. The score heightens the tension as well and the acting performances are superb from all concerned. Emilia Clarke is as believable as ever and Edward Dring is certainly one to watch in the future.

It does however have its issues. Although it is billed as a thriller, it is quite slow to get going and there are long periods where nothing happens at all. I’m all for building suspense but you can take it just slightly too far. I also found the ending slightly disappointing, but overall it is an enjoyable watch and if you are a fan of mystery drama then this should appeal.

“Let the words you speak be the words that call me back to you. Promise me…”