The Black Phone

The Black Phone

A thriller. Released in 2020. Directed by Scott Derrickson. An adaptation of the holler novel with the same title written by Joe Hill. It stars Mason Thames. Ethan Hawke appears in it. In July 2022, I watched it for the first time at Movix Kameari.

It follows a shy boy named Finney who is confined by a mysterious man but gets tough through fighting the man.

Finney is abused by nasty boys, moreover, ghosts show up, so I thought that it was like a Stephen King film, such as It and Hearts in Atlantis. In fact, the original author, Hill, is a son of King. Blood will tell. I also felt it strange that Finney is bullied in spite of being the good pitcher of a baseball team. The original novel might have more descriptions of his disposition meaning that he hates to fight anyone. Then Mason Thames as Finney looked like the child lead actor in Mid90s which I watched in September 2020 at a theater, so I thought that the two characters were performed by the same actor on my own while watching it, however, after that, I knew that they were not. I had a wry smile thinking that I could not yet tell white actors apart. Furthermore, I lately have not able to distinguish unfamiliar Japanese young actor. That proves that I have become old.

After being imprisoned, Finney becomes tough gradually with the help of his friends and decides to confront the enigmatic man. His mental growth and his little sister's thoughtfulness for her brother made my heart warm and comfortable. Then the last several scenes were so refreshing and entertaining that I could feel catharsis.

Although I had expected that Ethan Hawke is the lead, yet in fact, he is supporting, besides, he is putting a funny mask most of the time. It disappointed me, for that was the first time I saw Hawke on a big screen. I could not even think what he profited from acting the role.

The flick has horror scenes, some of which scared me, but it was not frightening overall. It tells a heartwarming story about a boy's growth. Mason Thames performed the boy well.