Nocturne Review: A Slowly Building Symphony of Suspense, Obsession, and Madness

Release date: October 13, 2020
Running time: 90 minutes
Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Madison Iseman, Jacques Colimon, and Ivan Shaw

Welcome to the Blumhouse is a seasonal horror event by Amazon and Blumhouse that is releasing four horror movies during October in two waves.  Nocturne is part of the second wave of movies, releasing October 13 along with Evil Eye.  Inside the halls of an elite arts academy, Juliet (Sweeney), a timid music student, begins to outshine her more accomplished and outgoing twin sister Vivian (Iseman) when she discovers a mysterious notebook belonging to a recently deceased classmate.  The notebook wakes something inside her but also causes her to change attitude, playstyle, and her overall personality.  But it seems like this blessing is also a curse when her actions start hurting those around her.

Nocturne is part a horror film but also partly a character study.  Juliet is a talented, but timid and lacking confidence student who longs for the spotlight that her more outgoing sister has.  And when she discovers this book that seems to awaken something hungry and dark inside her, it really changes her overall personality.  And this is accomplished by Sweeney's nuanced and fantastic acting.  Sweeney has to contend with a lot of different personalities and motivations in this film and does it perfectly.  She goes from timid to confident to horrified through various stages of this transformation and really makes Juliet come alive.  And her sister is a very good foil for Juliet.  Iseman does a great job as a more confident pianist who seems to effortlessly float between social circles and intense musical accomplishment.  She also plays the supportive sister quite well when needed.  And the sister dynamic is an interesting one to see; they should be happy for each other and supportive but they are also so different causing natural friction.  And as talented musicians they are inherently competitive, although one hasn't traditionally been so.  

As you would expect from a story set in an elite musical school, the film has some beautiful music.  And it is not just classical piano songs that are showcased, but also some really good electronic music to set the scene during some of the more mind bending scenarios.  It just feels right that a film about music would have a strong soundtrack accompanying it.  And the story of Nocturne has this wonderful sense of impending doom throughout it.  It starts off timidly enough, but like Juliet, builds as she gets deeper into this new personality and life.  It builds slowly but this allows you to really see the changes in Juliet and how those changes affect those around her.  And it really does highlight some of the darker human emotions that can be prized in our society: ambition and competition.  And in doing that it also highlights some less desirable traits that we all have inside us betrayal, jealousy, and pride.  It is a quick descent and a strong push and pull throughout that really makes this film one that you can't turn away from.

Nocturne's fantastic music, story, and characters create a slowly building symphony of suspense, obsession, and madness. 

Watch it.

If you liked this review and want to see more from Watch or Pass, please consider 

following us on our various social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube. 

Nocturne is available to stream on Amazon Prime starting October 13, 2020.