REVIEW | Lisa Fremont
In 2019, writer/director Abner Pastoll closed out Frightfest with his film A Good Woman is Hard to Find, a feminist anthem cloaked in a modern noir thriller. This film not only proved that his first film, Road Games, wasn’t simply beginner’s luck, but it also marked the first time Pastoll worked with lead actress Sarah Bolger. Returning to Frightfest to open the festival with his latest movie, Nervous, Pastoll has once again teamed up with Bolger to deliver an unsettling psychological thriller that expertly blends multiple genres and also quietly announces Pastoll as a director with a specific eye and voice.
We meet Sarah (Bolger) and her husband, Sungsoo (Sungsoo Yune), as they drive outside Seoul to a countryside home that Sungsoo has chosen for them. A former investigative journalist, Irish-born Sarah has left her career behind, is becoming fluent in Korean, and has also immersed herself in Sungsoo’s life in South Korea. Suffice to say, this surprise home doesn’t land the way he hopes it will, and this not only sets the tone for the film, but Sungsoo’s unilateral relocation decision will set off a series of events that no level of toxic masculinity could conquer.
On their first night at home, Sarah and Sungsoo find a vintage phonograph. Excited to see if it works, they are disappointed to find that the record they found along with it plays only silence. While Sungsoo quickly grows bored, Sarah hears something and becomes intrigued not only by the record but also by the handwritten note accompanying it. A mysterious record, a note she cannot interpret, and an accidental drop of blood made by the phonograph needle may all sound reminiscent of Evil Dead, but something far more terrifying is about to happen in this home: gaslighting, belittling, and isolation are about to become Sarah’s biggest foes. Comingled with supernatural phenomena, a potential serial killer, missing women, and a freak physical ailment, Nervous feels like a modern re-telling of Rebecca and even has a bit of a Hitchcockian feel to go along with it.
After listening to the mysterious record, Sarah finds that she can no longer hear men’s voices. To quote the character Eunbyeol, this “sounds like a dream,” and it also lets Pastoll and sound designer Nick Baldock make sound another character in the film. The use of sound, or lack thereof, is what makes Nervous effective. We hear the world the same way that Sarah does, which allows us to start feeling suspicious, uncertain, and on guard along with her. Thankfully, Eunbyeol (Ko Asung) decided early on that she enjoys the company of a housewife, and she becomes not only a trusted friend to Sarah but someone around whom she truly lets her guard down.
Bolger gives her all and delivers a powerfully subdued performance as a woman who is trying to stay in her lane to keep her husband happy, but whatever she heard on that record has other plans. Seamlessly blending English and South Korean lore, Nervous also manages to comment on the various ways in which we communicate with one another and how gender can greatly affect that. Once again proving that less is more, Pastoll lovingly punctuates simple living spaces with lush color, allowing the actors to truly inhabit their characters. The ease with which everyone works together simply amps up your feelings toward each person, and this is what will have you fully invested in the finale that may not give you answers, but it will certainly have you saying, “Good for her.”
Played at Frightfest 2026
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