The Sonata is a 2018 supernatural horror film directed by Andrew Desmond and starring Freya Tingley and Rutger Hauer (in the last of his films that was released before his death).
The film starts with a P.O.V. Shot of a man putting finishing touches on a musical composition. He stands up and takes a drink (the viewer sees his reflection in a mirror, which is how we know he's played by Rutger Hauer). He then picks up a gas can, walks out onto a balcony, douses himself in gasoline... and sets himself on fire.
The scene then switches to Rose Fisher (Tingley), an accomplished violinist, currently in the midst of making a recording. After the session, she is informed of the death of her father Richard Marlowe, a famous classical composer, the man we saw immolating himself in the first scene. She reacts with surprising indifference. Her manager, Charles Vernais (played by Simon Abkarian), does not. "Why did you not tell me your father was Richard Marlowe?" he asks. "Because [ Precision F-Strike ] him, that's why," Rose responds. Turns out Marlowe abandoned Rose and her mother when she was very young, and she has never forgiven him for it.
Nevertheless, she travels to his sprawling mansion out in the boondocks of France...
What ensues is an occult investigation which revolves around a certain sonata composed by Marlowe, which he regarded as his magnum opus, an investigation with disturbing... supernatural... satanic aspects.
This film provides examples of the following tropes:
- Ambiguous Ending: So what exactly happened at the end? Was it Marlowe's plan all along, or was it thwarted? Was Charles supposed to be the Human Sacrifice, or was his obsession with the sonata (which far surpassed Rose's) enough to distract the demon, who was supposed to possess Rose? Did the ghosts of the murdered children show up because Marlowe's spell compelled them, or because they realized Rose had no desire to bring about her father's will, and sought to help her? And at the very end, was Rose possessed by the Antichrist, or did she merely have his power?
- The Chosen One: Rose Fisher, chosen by her father Richard Marlowe to bring his (literally) diabolical plans to fruition. The fact that she hates his everloving guts might be a fly in that ointment.
- Catapult Nightmare: Rose has one of these.
- Creepy Children Singing: Creepy Ghost Children, four of them, appear at the climax. They are the children Marlowe tortured to death to achieve the desired sound for his sonata. Since they only appear after the demon makes clear it is only going after Charles, they may be there to help Rose thwart her father's plans.
- Culture Clash: Early in the movie, Rose, who is British, approaches her car from the right side and opens the front door, only to find that the steering wheel is on the left side. She mutters, "Bloody French," slams the door, and goes to the other side.
- Glowing Eyes of Doom: Rose sports these in the very last shot of the film.
- I Hate You, Vampire Dad: More like "I hate you Devil Worshiper Dad," although Rose hates her father long before she learns he was one. When she finds a picture of him upon first moving into the mansion, she breaks the frame and glass with her bare hands.
- Modesty Towel: When Rose hears a strange noise while taking a bath, she puts on one of these and goes to investigate. She wears it quite well.
- Nothing Is Scarier: The movie makes it abundantly clear that Richard Marlowe tortured four children just to achieve the right sound in the sonata that he was composing, but the audience sees none of it. They only see a Torture Chamber replete with various sharp instruments, and hear a tape recording of a child's screams.
- Self-Immolation: Richard Marlowe does this in the film's first scene.
- Town with a Dark Secret: Not a secret, perhaps, but the town near Richard Marlowe's mansion is haunted by the memories of four children who have gone missing in the recent past. They were abducted by Marlowe and tortured to death. See Would Hurt a Child below.
- Would Hurt a Child: Richard Marlowe most definitely would, and did, to achieve the sound he wished for the eponymous Sonata. Rose has the decency to be horrified when she learns of this. Charles, on the other hand...
