PREVIEW: Cutthroat Rivalries, Horror, Music Conservatories in Nocturne

A promotional image for the psychohorror drama film Nocturne (2020).

Sibling rivalry. A book of secrets. A cutthroat music conservatory. Something supernatural shifting the balance of power. These are a few of the elements in Nocturne, a Netflix Original movie dropping on October 15.

Nocturne tells the story of twin sisters at a prestigious arts academy – one outgoing and excelling, the other timid and wallflower-ish. Juliet (Sydney Sweeney) is the wallflower. However, after the sudden death of one of the academy’s star students, Juliet discovers the deceased student’s music theory textbook seems to hold all the answers for her to seize the spotlight. And then the visions begin…

Written and directed by Zu Quirke, Nocturne recalls elements of Black Swan and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, mixed with the hyper-competiveness of Fame and The Competition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AoGu5WxduM&ab_channel=AmazonPrimeVideo

About
Latest Posts

Amy Donahue

Amy Donahue is a staff reviewer at the Twin Cities Arts Reader. She interned with the magazine during the summer of 2017, served as a guest contributor while studying abroad in Europe that fall, and has moved up to regular old reviewing. She served as interim Editor-in-Chief in 2023.

She admits to being at least 50% terrified of contemporary German opera.