‘Nervous’ Review: FrightFest Horror Builds Mystery Through Sound

Nervous opened this year’s FrightFest with a psychological horror story built around an unsettling change in perception. In its review, Dread Central describes Abner Pastoll’s film as an enigmatic drama that withholds definitive answers and expects viewers to draw their own conclusions. The film follows Sarah, an American investigative journalist played by Sarah Bolger, who travels with her South Korean partner, Sungsoo (Sungsoo Yune), to a remote house in South Korea. After discovering and using an old record player in the attic, Sarah begins struggling to understand male voices. Although doctors tell her that nothing is wrong, the unexplained condition causes her to question both her sanity and her understanding of reality. According to the review, Bolger’s performance balances Sarah’s vulnerability with the character’s determination to investigate what is happening. Sarah attempts to uncover the source of the problem even as her condition places additional strain on an already troubled relationship. Yune’s Sungsoo is portrayed as patient and concerned, though increasingly frustrated by Sarah’s inability to hear him. The couple’s neighbor, Eunbyeol, is played by Ko Asung. Dread Central singles out Asung’s performance as a standout, describing the character as a sympathetic friend whose intentions may not be entirely clear. Sarah’s interactions with Eunbyeol introduce another uncertain element to the mystery. The review also emphasizes the importance of the film’s sound design. As male voices become increasingly difficult for Sarah to understand, the audio presentation is said to make her experience feel unusually immediate. The film reportedly uses violence sparingly, but the review characterizes its more intense scenes as gruesome and harrowing. Dread Central interprets Nervous as potentially addressing the ways women can be ignored by society, while stressing that the film does not explain its themes directly. That ambiguity may frustrate viewers who prefer clear resolutions, but the review argues that the approach supports the movie’s mysterious atmosphere. Pastoll co-wrote the screenplay with Richard Hobley.