Review of Nocturne

 

🪓🪓🪓🪓🪓 out of 🪓🪓🪓🪓🪓

Nocturne is a 2020 Blumhouse Amazon original movie written and directed by Zu Quirke. It's about the bloodsport of classical music musicians. In fact, I think only classical musicians and extreme-metal musicians like me are the only ones truly challenging themselves, so I could relate to this film, big-time.

Mad Moira (Ji Eung Hwang) keeps a diary of her occult dealings, a virtuoso violinist better than any other. Unmercifully, she jumps to her death from her balcony when the grandfather clock chimes. 

Juliet Lowe (Sydney Sweeney) is a classical pianist who lives under the shadow of her sister, Vivian (Madison Wiseman), also a classical pianist, who's the lone musician at her school who's been chosen to attend Juilliard, the most prestigious school of music there is. Her jealous sister has chosen a gap year. Both sisters play lighting-fast on the keys.

Juliet is tired of playing second fiddle. When the faculty cleans out Mad Moira's mail slot, the diary falls onto the floor. Juliet snatches it, looking for an edge to become a better musician than her sister, making a Faustian deal with the devil. 

The pages in the diary urge Juliet to take three anti-anxiety pills instead of one, and they spell out that she has to steal Viv's boyfriend, Max (Jacques Colimon), as one of the stages. But the last stage has been ripped from the diary. 

Filled with pride, Juliet chooses the same piece Vivian had chosen to play at the senior school showcase, Saint Saens Piano Concerto No. 2, and in time, steals her musical teacher, Dr. Cask (Ivan Shaw), who has sexual ties to Viv. At the party at the beach, Juliet allows Viv to fall off a cliff and break her arm but saves Max from going over the edge. Now Juliet is chosen to replace her sister at the showcase, and it seems like she's moving ahead of her sister. But it only seems that way. Juliet cuts down the achievement of Dr. Cask and makes bold claims about becoming the star pianist.

But Juliet suffers visions of a bright yellow light, as well as hearing that dastardly grandfather clock, which cause her to fall off the stool and pass out while rehearsing for the showcase, and she slips down the downward spiral she has chosen. 

This one's on Amazon Prime, so check it out. You won't regret it.