User reviews

The photography in this film is quite marvellous, as well as the atmosphere and, certainly, the music. The story is a bit lacking and it's been poorly executed. Overall, it was enjoyable, if one doesn't ask questions or even tries not to think. It had a promise of being an outstanding movie, but turned out weak.

An interesting case for me - an unlikely indie I saw on the local big screen on Halloween eve, it was shown here because the movie is shot almost entirely in the country I live in (Latvia), mainly in the 19th century Cesvaine Palace, where I've also been. I was very intrigued upon hearing about it - I had no idea there was such a project. It's hard to understand how much bias I possess criticizing "The Sonata", but it was indeed quite enjoyable.

"The Sonata" starts off with a pretty cool POV style intro and the late Rutger Hauer himself, the first half of the movie we spend mostly listening to a lot of story building dialogue, getting to know the archaic but decent characters, and also enjoying decent original score that's almost a character itself. The atmosphere feels gothic, misty, at times spooky and at times like its reaching for something but not quite achieving it. All the performances are commendable, I especially enjoyed the one by Simon Abkarian. The second half is the better half, things start to escalate more, atmosphere gets more dense, there are one or two actually good jumpscares and a somewhat lacking but acceptable climax. Cinematography's fine for the most part, the main location is utilised competently & effectively, even the cgi used managed to not cross the line of cheese.

The story as a whole is nothing new really, it might make you reminisce about better interpretations of the same thing, but with a pinch of occult themes, a splash of cleverly included music "The Sonata" offers a decent entertainment for anyone who enjoys ghost stories, paranormal horror, gothic mood pieces and classical music. As for me, the additional value was to see places & nature that's very familiar to me get used in probably the biggest horror movie ever filmed in this small country. My rating: 6/10.

This movie will not stimulate your brain nor will it scare you. However, it was very atmospheric and moved at a nice pace. It started off quite good then for some reason, took a nose dive about half way through. The protagonist was also somewhat unlikeable and we never really get to know her in order to like her better. I found myself not really caring what happens to any of the characters. It started off well, but needed more character development and more of a story. The ending was overly simplistic. But I can't say it was boring.

To me The Sonata deserves a higher rating than it actually got on here. Andrew Desmond did a good job with this movie. There is a certain dark athmosphere created, mostly by the excellent soundtrack. If you want to make a good horror movie (even thought it's not categorized as such, but it should) you need good sound effects and music, that's just essential and in The Sonata it's just perfect. The acting wasn't bad either. I would have liked a bigger part for Rutger Hauer but the rest of the cast did certainly well. The Sonata isn't a very visual horror movie even though there are some good frightening scenes and jump scares, it's more an athmospheric horror movie that has it from the sound and story. Not bad at all if you like that stuff.

"The Sonata" excels at creating a haunting and immersive atmosphere. The film's gothic setting, complete with a decaying mansion and eerie landscapes, effectively establishes a sense of dread and unease. The cinematography beautifully captures the dark and mysterious ambiance, drawing viewers into its chilling world.

The storyline, revolving around a young violinist who inherits a mansion and discovers her father's sinister compositions, is compelling. The integration of classical music with supernatural elements provides a fresh and intriguing twist on the horror genre. The mysterious sonata and its hidden messages keep the audience engaged and curious about the unfolding mystery.

Freya Tingley, who plays the protagonist, delivers a convincing and emotive performance. Her portrayal of the tormented musician navigating through grief, curiosity, and terror is compelling. Rutger Hauer's role, although limited, adds a significant presence and gravitas to the film, enhancing its overall impact.

The film suffers from uneven pacing, with moments that drag and others that feel rushed. The build-up to key plot revelations can be slow, testing the audience's patience. Conversely, some critical developments occur too abruptly, leaving viewers wishing for a more gradual and fleshed-out progression.

Despite its intriguing premise, some of the plot twists in "The Sonata" are predictable and lack the intended shock value. Horror enthusiasts might find certain elements cliché, as the film occasionally relies on familiar tropes and predictable scares, diminishing the overall tension.

While the lead characters receive adequate attention, several supporting characters are underdeveloped. The motivations and backstories of the characters are not fully explored, leaving the narrative lacking in depth that could have been added. This underdevelopment makes it harder for the audience to form a strong connection with or investment in these characters.

A decent horror flick that overall feels like a missed opportunity. About 20 minutes more for some backstory adding a touch more character development and I think we could have had a right winner. That and CGI looked like it came out of a video game. That all being said, I enjoyed it for the movie it should have been.

The Sonata is a horror film that doesn't really involved a lot of horror. The film revolves around the main character Rose (portrayed by Freya Tingley) who is a rising star in the classical music community. Shortly after the film begins her father dies who was a world renowned classical composer but fell off the face of the earth. Rose did not have a great relationship with him and reruns to his home in France where she learns about her father's dark secrets and his last work.

Now the film plot in The Sonata was very interesting as the sonata aspect was not something I had seen in a horror film. For the most part the film kept me intrigued enough that I did not bore me. However, there is not much horror other than the occasional jump scare. The jump scares are not even really scary as the CGI is pretty bad because it's like B-movie CGI yet the rest of the film did not give a B-movie type feeling.

The acts that do involve horror or lead to foreshadows of major events are seen from a mile away. I kinda knew where the film was going within the first 20 minutes. Finally, while I appreciate a short horror film, I think a lot is left unanswered about the father's past and the sonata. I would have appreciated a little more insight into this. Overall this is a below average horror film but I cannot say I absolutely hated it. 4/10.

Greetings again from the darkness. A throwback to 1970's cinema is easy to appreciate, whether it was intended or nor. Writer-director Andrew Desmond's debut feature film certainly serves up the feel and style of so many of those low-budget horror films I watched as a youngster (many, it seemed, featured the late Roddy McDowall). Mr. Desmond and co-writer Arthur Morin (also his first feature film screenplay) likely viewed some of those same films, as this one succeeds in capturing the same creepy tone.

For some, the music they create comes from their soul ... it makes them who they are. For these musicians, their obsession and quest for perfection can be off-putting to others. In an early sequence, we see young violist Rose Fisher (Freya Tingley, "Once Upon a Time") react to news of her father's death by shrugging and stating she wants to continue with her recording session. See, Rose's father deserted the family when she was a toddler, and the two never spoke again. Richard Marlowe (Rutger Hauer) was an exciting and brilliant young composer when he chose to drop out and live as a recluse (think Salinger). He's even compared to Pink Floyd founding member Syd Barrett. Rose chose to never use her genetics as a springboard to success; never even telling her manager Charles Vernais (Simon Abkarian, CASINO ROYALE) of the connection.

Rose visits Marlowe's house, and before learning of the startling manner in which his life ended, she discovers his final composition locked away in a drawer ... a violin sonata seemingly left for her to find. Neither Rose nor Charles recognize some of the non-musical symbols included on the sheet music, but it's clear there are elements of genius in the piece. While Charles envisions piles of cash to be made by capitalizing on this situation, Rose sets about tracking down clues to the unknown symbols by exploring her father's estate.

It should be noted that Marlowe's "house" is actually the 19th century Cesvaine Palace, and it makes a wonderfully gothic setting for this story. This sub-genre of horror films is always best when the setting is a creepy old mansion/castle, and includes a mysterious housekeeper, other-worldly children, a leather-bound book of secrets, and a subterranean room (this one is beneath a chapel) with curious wall murals telling some forbidden legend of the occult. The only element missing here is vicious dog that pops up periodically.

The symbols lead to a French secret society, and in their own ways, both Rose and Charles learn that finishing Marlowe's final piece will conjure the Anti-Christ. While Charles pursues greed, Rose pursues the music. Spoken words pale in comparison to the music Rose creates. Screen veteran James Faulkner appears as Sir Victor Ferdinand in a vital supporting role. While it's a bit disappointing that the late, great Rutger Hauer has very little screen time, it's quite enjoyable to watch Ms. Tingley carry the lead. Mr. Desmond filmed in Latvia, and delivers a film that fits quite nicely for those who enjoy the creepy throwback horror style.

Not the greatest movie, but not the worst either. Kinda interesting story, a bit creepy. But hard to suspend disbelief, which is a turn off for me. But still really fun to look at that house, and the woods, and all that moss and interesting kind of puzzle. Ehhhh... I love Rutger, but this is a 1 and done for me.

If your a Rutger fan, or love cool old creepy houses and string music, then I say give it a watch. ;D.

Very reminiscent of old Hammer horror films, with superb locations, quality performances from virtually all of the cast, superb music scoring and a really well orchestrated atmosphere of dread and suspense reminiscent of The Devil Rides Out and it was proceeding so well until the end and the last 10 minutes of the movie just fizzled and burned out like a damp squib.

It had all the ingredients too, including a well paced and original story but what could have been a really great horror-thriller was spoiled by the rushed ending and brief CGI - such a shame but it is still well above average and beats most of the recent horror drivel that has been coming out of the film studios recently so a fair 6.5/10 from me!

Not as good as the reviews, good music but overall weak for the sharp mind, if you like violin playing go for it, if you like horror, don't!

Firstly, the cinematography is wonderful, but it looks like it was shot on video, a shame they couldn't have made it more film like, as the video effect makes it look cheap.

The female lead is desperately unlikeable, maybe she's meant to be, but I think making her personality a little more pleasant would have been a good thing.

There is bags of atmosphere here, but the story seems rushed, and at just about 83 minutes running time, it could have been longer and the story fleshed out more.

Also, for anyone considering the German blu ray which has an English soundtrack, well yes it does, but there are three instances of French being spoken, and there are no English subtitles for them, which means you have to switch the German subtitles on, and then use Google translate, unless you speak French of course!

The idea is great, but the execution isn't that brilliant, a bigger budget would definitely have helped here.

A brilliant young violinist inherits the music of her estranged father, a mysterious composer, but it leads her down the path to darkness ...

Curious case of an ordinary tale with extraordinary potential. I was looking forward to a cinematic treatment of an evil phenomenon in music, but it didn't go there in the end, although I do think the idea was covered in the score.

Instead, we get a traditional story with a puzzle in the symbolologicaltastic manner of Dan Brown - clever, but not enlightening, and nothing that couldn't have been dealt with in a 60m TV episode.

The performances are good, with an odd difference in height between the two leads. There is material for the actors to get their teeth into, but the characters remain fairly simple, despite the dark past of family estrangement (the mother's story wasn't followed up) and alcoholism. I'm also thinking of the housekeeper, who really just shows up for exposition - in a film noir or in David Lynch she would serve several purposes at once and deepen our unease, focus the drama.

The cinematography is quality. Not so sure about the direction, and certainly the editing and story line are a bit plain. The opening scene is effective, but had the feel of a first person POV sequence in an old video game. The choice of location at the old mansion was way over the top, immediately raising all sorts of irrelevant questions - it's not Dracula's Castle!

The evil phenomenon in the music is the Devil's interval, which the lush score hits repeatedly - that unresolved discord made familiar through so many genres of disturbing music, and I hoped the story would somehow turn on this. Hard to say how to do it without ending up as '60s psychedelia, but I think it would need a shift of perception, a shift in the story-telling itself, to provide an interval in reality through which we slide down to Hell. Ahem. You know what I mean. But not this time.

Overall: Good production, but lack of depth in the story.

Everything was better except the story! The main story or the main element of fear was not enough to execute in the movie. So a good time pass but nothing permanent.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of The Sonata; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 1.50 Direction: 1.50 Pace: 1.25 Acting: 1.50 Enjoyment: 1.50

TOTAL: 6.25 out of 10.00

There's nothing new under the sun, and there's nothing new in music. But that doesn't stop Andrew Desmond and Arthur Morin from shooting for the stars with The Sonata.

The writers have devised a way to call forth the devil from his Hell Sweet Hell. All you have to do is play the horned one a tune on your violin. But that would be too simple and only seems to work for Johnny from Georgia. For everyone else, it takes more - much more. The writers brilliantly incorporate a Satanic Sect who had been trying to place a call to Luci but have never quite gotten the tune right. Enter the philharmonic maestro genius of Richard Marlow. He's ostracised himself from humanity to dedicate his intellect and time to composing Satan's Summoning Sonata. And on the eve of its completion, he commits self-immolation. Enter the estranged violin virtuoso of his daughter, Rose Fisher. Marlow's seclusion means she is his only heir, and no sooner has she set foot in her new mansion in the forest than the strange and mysterious happenings begin. I loved how the writers interwove the mystical symbols and their interpretations into how the music sheets were to be read and played. Very imaginative and clever - This alone added extra depth that drew me into the story more. In fact, the entire piece is laden with intelligent and eerie repercussions. One of my favourites, and most chilling, is how Marlow determines the correct note, pitch, and fervency for certain sections. Desmond and Morin don't just infect their narrative with creepy nastiness. They also infuse their characters with darkness. And as we progress through the story, we see the wickedness grow. Their individuals are strong and credible, but this evil infection increases their potency for the viewer, especially in the Charles Vernais character.

Desmond is as skilled behind the camera as he is at tapping away at a laptop. The guy knows how to work the slow boil and the simmering scare. If you like fast frights, then The Sonata is not for you. There are a few, but only a few. Desmond uses the story and the easy pace to create one of the best under-your-skin-creeps I've felt in a long time. Muchas Gracias Muchacho. I adored the low lights and deep shadows while never being too dark to see. It adds considerably to the eeriness: As do the sets. Rose's apartment is modern, but when she steps into her father's manor, it's as though she's stepped back in time. Both Count Dracula and Victor Frankenstein would feel at home here. I always find that house's caught in time, like this one, have a spookiness all to themselves. And Desmond's cinematography heightens that feeling. The special effects are limited in number and resources. The ghost kids are ghostly, though not too frightening. While the conjured evil spirit is ominous, it's not too menacing. I would consider this a budgetary matter rather than a directorial one, as Desmond does construct a suitable atmosphere for both. However, the lack of attack from the spirit is a big letdown. I think even cheesy CGI would have been better than nothing at all. I'm a big devotee of less is more. In most cases letting the audience's imagination do the work for the director would be ideal. Sadly, in this case, it doesn't work fully. I believe this to be down to the appearances of the Kids and Daemon and the viewer's expectations. You've waited so long for the big finale, and instead of a massive crescendo, we get a slow fade away. That said, I loved the less is more ending, which works splendidly, especially because of the look on Rose's face and her blazing red eyes. I will state that the CGI'd fiery Marlowe looks good, and Rutger Hauer's indifference adds a superb creepiness to the scene.

This brings me to the cast, and they are superb. Nobody overcooks their performances, though, in one or two scenes, Freya Tingley slightly underdoes her rendition of Rose. But for the most part, she is exemplary as a strong-willed, single-minded, and driven woman - with a hint of Deva. This film, however, belongs to Simon Abkarian as Charles and the wonderful voice of the late and great Rutger Hauer.

I would like to mention the soundtrack, in particular The Sonata itself. It's an outstanding piece, full of emotion - anger, horror, dread, and menace. Whoever wrote it and played it, thank you for sending that chill straight down to my marrow.

I would recommend The Sonata to all lovers of the macabre. However, if you're a die-hard gorehound, stay away as there's not enough blood to satiate your dark desires. But if you're looking for something to steel slowly into the dark parts of your soul, give it a look-see - even if it's only once.

Please feel free to visit my Absolute Horror list to see where I ranked The Sonata.

Take Care & Stay Well.

Sonata is a movie that takes music in a (horror) movie and makes it about music in the movie as movies make music for the movie :). The problem with the movie is slow pace thus not offering nothing more noteworthy for the viewer. The idea of hidden notes in music having a certain effect on "time and space" is ok, but the director stretches it all to much, thus making the film's potential somewhat watered-down.

Let me say that the classical music in this film is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. I love classical music and together, they create the most dramatic pieces that give the film just enough of drama for balance. If you love classical music, you will admire this for the film alone.

It's not horror, but a supernatural thriller. The music is what keeps your attention regardless of your thoughts with the storyline.

Personally, I enjoyed this. It may not appeal to specific people but for those that understand it will appreciate it.

It's beautiful as is.

Also are you ok with puns? I may have been way funnier than the entire movie put together. Although "funny" is in the eye of the beholder, but I don't expect anyone laughing more about or during the movie, than while "enjoying" my summary line. But that aside, this is a horror movie that while it is predictable (with jump scares and all), is decently done to say the least.

And I reckon one of the last movies Rutger Hauer did ... although I don't know with what pace he worked, so maybe he did quite a few more. Also he's not playing first fiddle here - is that just a German saying? Not sure how this translates, but the pun was worth it. The movie is predictable but was well done overall

Very bad acting , the main character is arrogant and boring l. Very slow from the beginning to end! Don't waste your time like I did ! I just fast forward some parts with pointless dialogues.

This Gothic horror largely takes place in a castle in France, and contains a lot of references to the period of horror that I especially love in the 1970s. There's a creepy professor with impeccable manners, cruel opinions and exquisite taste, an eccentric but innocent young woman trapped in an unsavory situation, and some weird freaking evil guy hanging around trying to summon The Devil.

Unfortunately, the special effects get kind of lazy at one point, or maybe just rely too heavily on modern CGI.

I also would have preferred to see the type of social and political aspects of films such as The Omen, The Changeling or The Shining and alas there's ZERO intellectual awareness in this puff piece of a film.