September 25, 2026 – Movies of the Soul

Vampire Owl: I have heard only about the strings of vampire violins in the castle.

Vampire Bat: Vampires do not play music in the castle.

Vampire Owl: I have heard a lot of the same from Uncle Dracula’s room.

Vampire Bat: It is not music, but voices from the other side of immortality.

Vampire Owl: The voices do make some nice music for sure.

Vampire Bat: The voices are inherited by the castle from the adoration of vampire elders.

Vampire Owl: There is always some new mystery to be unveiled from the elders.

Vampire Bat: They are all pointed towards eternity and infinity.

Vampire Owl: Well, we all know that death is only the beginning.

Vampire Bat: Beginning of the end is the one true beginning. Just run to the other side and ask Uncle Dracula.

[Gets a ghee podi idli and three cups of Kodaikanal tea].

What is the movie about? :: Laila Calloway (Chloe Bailey) is an extremely gifted, aspiring classical violinist who is working as a substitute music teacher while dreaming of a grand career which seemed out of the equation since her young little sister died of asthma and she could do nothing about it at all. This has led to her going through hallucinations and nightmares at times, which affects her performance on some occasions. Her best chance at a better career seems to have arrived when she meets Audra Jelani (Lynn Whitfield), a charming matriarch with unparalleled wealth and influence. Audra gives Laila an offer she cannot refuse in the form of a live-in music tutoring position to mentor her granddaughter, Zuri Jelani (Romy Woods). Laila understands that her high-society connections and high influence will guarantee her an easy path in her journey of music. Laila moves into the family’s highly luxurious estate which seems to belong to another world compared to the surroundings, and considers herself the luckiest person all of a sudden.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: But the situation seems to be something they did not expect, as the atmosphere inside the mansion is very much unsettling. Audra’s daughter, Imani Walker (Anna Diop) who is pregnant, does not like Laila at all, and treats her with contempt. At the same time, Laila’s young student, Zuri (Romy Woods) always wears a mask, and is deeply withdrawn, hyper-allergic, and hides her emotions at all times after the violent murder of her father, a highly popular rapper known as Reginald Garvey Bell (Pardison Fontaine). Zuri’s abiding sadness further triggers the unresolved trauma for Laila, as she has the haunting memories of her own deceased sister coming back to her. The situation gets to be further complicated with the return of Imani’s charming handsome husband, Marcus Walker (Lucien Laviscount). Laila’s finds out that Marcus is that man with whom she had a intense and passionate sexual affair just a few days before, which she considered to be her best physical experience ever. How will the family take this secret as the house itself has so many mysteries hidden in the building?

The defence of Strung :: The feeling of mystery goes right through the movie, and there is always the thought that something big can happen at any moment with so many secrets to be revealed from not just one character. Chloe Bailey keeps elevating the movie with a wide range of emotions as she goes through unexpected situations, while Lynn Whitfield’s antagonistic side adds to the overall quality of the movie. The movie surely features rich estate set design and a vibrant cinematography also supports the same, as most of its world is nothing less than stunning within a big mansion and its surroundings. The music and sound effects really add well to the same, and keeps the mood running to suit the movie. The wild twists and emotions that run further has us interested, while red herrings bring something more to take it away from the possible right guess of the twist. The final moments extend well with its moments creating a feeling of tension that goes on and on until the solution is reached.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does not reach its potential after a smart beginning, as the mystery does not get that finish it deserved. There were so many moments which could have taken in another way and made better. The twists could have also been extended in a fine manner, especially with an early connection established between two main characters and taken further with a twist as movie goes forward. The exploration of the evil and the intentions could have also been explored more to make that feeling of terror even more – as of now, it mostly exists in the background with not that much of the same shown directly or clearly. The movie also happens to be too long, and was worth not more than one and half hours, and feels stretched with a little bit too much of unnecessary details and melodrama that goes over the emotions. The feeling that the characters are over-reacting never really leaves us, and some strange dialogues also creeps in, as we keep wondering why this movie is deviating so much and wastes time in getting nowhere.

The performers of the soul :: Chloe Bailey as Laila Calloway comes up with a performance that we are going to remember for long, even though it is not a new role, with The Housemaid having its main character facing a similar situation and an angry wife and a seductive husband awaiting her. But Chloe makes sure that her role remains really good and also has some divergence associated with the same. It is to be notable that while playing a likable character, she makes the emotions of the person so much felt that we support the character even more in her complicated journey. When we look at her, there is the feeling that a Helen of Sparta with race changed would suit her more than anyone else; there is a certain amount of charm that she brings to the character which is nothing less than the same. Lynn Whitfield delivers as a seductive and manipulative matriarch with impressive aura, and the character remains one which we will remember for long. Lucien Laviscount and Anna Diop supports just fine. Romy Woods brings a lovely performance as the daughter.

How it finishes :: The movie does not reach the point where one would feel it should have reached with this kind of content as it seems to hold back on many occasions. The highly engaging thriller is not to be taken as the movie is rather slow, and the attempt to work with silence also does not work that well due to the presence of a little bit too much of melodrama. With such an interesting premise which has worked so well in the past, more could been achieved, but it is safe to say that we still have enough around here to spend some time with this one on a weekend on Jio Hotstar where it has released in India, and as the one OTT which comes with mobile recharges, more people from this part of the world would surely end up watching the flick with relative ease. As the main performers inject some much-needed charisma into the increasingly deviating movie, the interest regularly comes back, which could provide a fine feeling of being interested in a mystery which could easily bring the twist that leads to those tense final moments which serve the purpose.

Release date: 27 May 2026
Running time: 119 minutes
Directed by: Malcolm D Lee
Starring: Chloe Bailey, Lynn Whitfield, Lucien Laviscount, Anna Diop, Coco Jones, Romy Woods