Nervous

Sarah (Sarah Bolger) and her husband Sungsoo (Sungsoo Yune) are having difficulties with their relationship. The surprise sprung on Sarah by Sungsoo of taking them to the South Korean countryside is drastic but he thinks that it will solve their problems. Sarah isn’t quite so convinced.

Her scepticism is reinforced when the find an old lady with a scarred face in the house. She leaves but Sarah is shaken and Sungsoo confused, nevertheless they agree to try and make the best of it.

The house is not in good condition but ripe for exploration. Rummaging about Sungsoo finds an old horn gramophone with single disc that when played has no sound. Sarah however notes that the noise of the static suggests that something is playing.

Whatever it is Sarah begins to have difficulty hearing Sungsoo’s speech and any male voice. Female voices are ok as are sounds; the munching at meals becomes almost intolerable. Into this comes neighbour Eunbyeol (Ko Asung) who appears to flirt with Sungsoo, arousing jealousy in Sarah, yet has other motives.

Directed by Abner Pastoll, co-written with Richard Hobley, Nervous is unsettling all the way through. There’s nothing that can easily be hooked on though the sound design is outstanding. Hearing through Sarah the muffled sounds of her husband and others are disorienting and reminiscent of what Darius Marder did in Sound of Metal (2020).

Sarah’s mental decline is carefully managed by Pastoll; she becomes obsessed, her paranoia fed by past events. It all appears to be in her mind though in the background there is the strange ongoing investigation into the murder of men and the simultaneous disappearance of women.

Nervous isn’t short of ideas or dialogue, it can be quite talky at times. This does lead to some sagging in the story and frustration as its slow rather than slowburn. That said Pastoll doesn’t shy away from out and out horror.

Understandable during a sequence when Sarah’s mental health is collapsing, not so later on when she improvises with the broken record.

Nervous had its World Premiere at Tubi FrightFest, London 2026.