Review: undertone (2026 Sundance Film Festival)

30 April, 2026 William Eguizabal 0 Comments 3 categories

Title: undertone
MPA Rating: R
Director: Ian Tuason
Starring: Nina Kiri, Adam DeMarco, Michèle Duquet
Runtime: 1hr 34 mins

What It Is: Evy (Kiri) and her best friend Justin (DeMarco) run “the Undertone,” a podcast where they discuss that which is creepy. They used to live near one another but now there is distance so they shoot their podcast from their own homes. When Justin receives some mysterious audio files the two of them begin to listen to them. What they find on them however is something far more disturbing than they ever could’ve imagined. All the while Evy is also dealing with her beloved mother slowly passing away in front of her; on top of that something else begins to brew.

What We Think: This really is a hard film to discuss because conceptually there’s definitely something here. It’s mostly the execution that’s off. It’s clear from the start that Ian Tuason is not a seasoned director or screenwriter. These things are okay for the most part. It’s the third act where it all falls apart for me. Everything leads up to tape ten and when it goes off there it’s just all unearned and silly at that point. It’s an auditory treat for sure. And the closer you listen the more you’ll get out of it. Still, this thing’s biggest nightmare induction was just how dumb it was narratively. So many plot points just get sort of abandoned. Evy’s mother, abandoned. Evy’s condition, abandoned. Her previous relationship with Justin, not explored. There’s so much that just could’ve been done here and wasn’t. Instead we stick to one angle that while interesting, is a bit overplayed. I won’t go too much into it as to not spoil the film but needless to say I was left a bit disappointed.

Our Grade: B-, This is a horror film that’ll surely find its audience amongst the genre enthusiasts. I am not one of them so for me this just did not really work. I understand and appreciated Tuason trying to present the film in a way I’ve not really seen, but sadly the script and overall structure just didn’t work. Still, if you’re into horror or simply an A24 completionist put it on your radar.