Josephina
Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
Paul Magne Haakonsen
Based on the cover of the DVD and the fact that it is a part of the '8 movies to die for' series, then "Voices" (aka "Du saram-yida") seemed promising and it was with a certain amount of anticipation that I sat down to watch it.And now that it is finished, I must admit that I have an empty feeling and a sense of having been cheated out of something potentially great.So why did "Voices" fail to deliver? Well, because it was a predictable storyline that held no surprises to throw off the audience. And director Ki-Hwan Oh failed to impress where it mattered.The acting performances in "Voices" were good, despite of the limitations imposed by the director and the lack of a proper script.And the absence of scares and spooky moments just made the movie even more mundane - to put it mildly.This movie scores a mere four out of ten stars from me solely on the production value and acting performances.
gftorain
The opening scene is of a young boy in shock, reaching out to his (apparently) recently murdered mother. Who is this kid? It isn't the brooding "new guy" in school- he murdered his father. It isn't the boyfriend- his father tried to burn everyone to death. Mom, in her final act, shielded her son from the flames with her body.Okay. So why was the aunt murdered? Is the brooding boy a demon? Who was the recluse? What did he have in connection with ANYONE? Is our lead character insane? I don't know much about Korean culture, but I find it odd that the parents of a high-schooler didn't bother with at least finding out the name of her adult boyfriend, whom they we well aware of. In a flash-back, we learn that the boyfriend blames our lead character for his ill-fortune, even though our lead character was a toddler in the flashback, and her father showed an act of charity. How were the two families connected? If this review is muddled, choppy and not quite cohesive, then I've put you in the perfect mindset for "Voices"
ebossert
Sometimes I think that many reviewers are simply too lazy to understand films with indirect communication. I've heard people complain that "Asian horror movies don't make sense", which is usually just a roundabout way of saying, "I'm too lazy to figure them out." However, there are some films that prove to be very difficult to understand (e.g., Spider Forest) or simply don't make the slightest bit of sense at all (e.g., Marronnier). "Voices" (aka "Someone Behind You") is one of those projects that is most definitely a bit too vague for its own good, so it's understandable that many viewers have serious problems figuring this movie out.This is a shell game kind of movie that tries to bait the viewer into red herring traps from start to finish. Don't be fooled, this is simply and solely about a demon (in human form) who is one gigantic scumbag that uses varying degrees of manipulation to coerce and/or control human beings for his own sick little games and perverted enjoyment. His favorite statement, "Don't trust anyone, not even yourself" is nothing more than a patronizing taunt to scare his victims. If he was more forthcoming, he would say something like this: "I will coerce your friends and family to kill you. If that doesn't work, I will force them into a state of temporary insanity to kill you." The only true escape from this disastrous situation is to simply move into a desolate, isolated area and live the rest of your life in seclusion, which isn't exactly a losing proposition for a scumbag demon who wants to see people suffer, both physically and/or psychologically.The psychological effects come into play when his victims prove particularly difficult to kill – and our lead protagonist is one tough cookie, eluding a number of attacks from friends and family members. In cases such as this, the attempted murders will form an unprecedented pattern that points towards some supernatural, uncommon influence. Think about it. Why would every single friend and family member attempt to kill someone? At this point, the possibility of a curse no longer seems so far-fetched. In addition, paranoia reaches its highest level, and the target will suffer greatly when attempting to reconcile these crazy events with their newly acquired mistrust and fear of their loved ones. Just the kind of psychological games a sick, demonic scumbag would love to watch. It also makes this film hella interesting.While somewhat obvious that the demon has added outside influence to every attempted murder, what makes this movie even more appealing during a second viewing is pondering just how much manipulation is required to push a particular person over the edge into attempted murder. For example, the husband who throws his wife into the path of a moving bus is possibly the least influenced murder herein. It is possible that the demon made the phone calls to his house, but I have no problems assuming that the character is wholly responsible for his actions and that the demon simply instilled some doubt into his mind regarding his love's possible infidelity. To take a contrasting example, the groom who tosses his bride off the balcony had no identifiable motive for doing so, which leans more towards a demon-influenced state of temporary insanity. The other instances of assault usually fall between those two extremes.Not everything in this film is cut and dry though. As I mentioned earlier, the script is vague and ambiguous, leaving unexplained gaps in the storyline. Most of these are easily rectified with logical, common sense assumptions because there's very little (if any) blatant contradictions when one understands that a demonic scumbag is behind everything; and as we all know, demonic scumbags are not bound to follow a set or rules or guidelines. I would post my specific thoughts, but this 1000-word review is very limited (read the message board instead). Also, I knowingly confess that this film is flawed in terms of scriptwriting, so there's really no hard-hitting points to be made in that regard anyways.However, the blemishes in "Someone Behind You" are overshadowed by a number of positive qualities. At the very least you'll get solid acting and a refreshingly different premise, which automatically elevates this film above most non-Asian horror fare. The aforementioned murder attempts are well-executed (some of which are very bloody) and the sense of paranoia is most definitely highlighted at numerous points. The protagonists are also very likable and their decision-making is understandable. What you end up with is a flick that's pretty damn entertaining.The last few years have been fantastic for the South Korean horror/thriller genre. "Someone Behind You" (2007) is a nice compliment to films like "Hansel and Gretel" (2007), "The Chaser" (2008), "The Return" (aka "Wide Awake") (2007), "Epitaph" (2007), "Muoi" (2007), "Bloody Reunion" (2006), "Loner" (2008), "A Bloody Aria" (2006), "Seven Days" (2007), "Cadaver" (2007), "A Good Wife" (2007), "Coma" (2006 miniseries), and "D-Day" (aka "Roommates") (2006). Most of these have their own particular flaws (most films do), but this is a very good lineup of titles that would make an awesome weekend marathon. I'll never understand why everyone reflexively runs out to rent the U.S. "Shutter" remake while ignoring these little gems. There is a significant minority of movie buffs who like Asian horror, but more people need to see these movies. I rarely (if ever) hear anyone talk about them. Even the formulaic entries like "D-Day" are really cool – and all of them are better than 90% of the crap coming out of Hollywood these days. Please check them out.
