‘Voices’ Review: Fear and Anxiety in a Detroit-Set Musical Thriller

Despite the generic title, “Voices” is quite the novelty. Mixing the rarely combined genres of chamber thriller and musical, the film takes place almost entirely in one location — a Detroit motel room in 1967 — and focuses on just three characters. The actors start singing at the most tense moments, puncturing the perception that, in musicals, characters only break into song to express positive feelings like joy or love. Filmmaker Deanté Gray successfully holds the audience’s attention through this apparent mismatch of genres.

Jordan (Francis Edemobi) is an aspiring singer and musician with dreams of making it big as a Motown star. He makes a living working at a motel that hosts many singers from out of town. When a new and exciting duo, the Harmony Brothers (Joe Maye and Jamal Averett), cross his path, he tries to impress them, hoping they’ll take him along with them and fuel his breakout. Instead, he’s met with derision, before a nasty accident occurs. He calls on his cousin Derrick (Ezekiel Ajeigbe) and Derrick’s girlfriend Mia (Raél Ba) — both also singers — to help him resolve the crisis, and the three decide to parlay this twisted opportunity into a launchpad for their musical careers.

The action never leaves the Harmony Brothers’ motel room until late in the proceedings. Instead, Jordan and his two cohorts spend most the time plotting escape, questioning their motives and ambitions, and making one disastrous decision after another. The screenplay, by Sam Buckner III and Charlie T Savage, heightens every moment to the maximum — and just when you think the tension cannot hold anymore, the characters start to sing. The songs, beautifully written and harmonized, are about strained feelings and regret, making them highly emotional and appropriate to the film’s thriller trappings. At one point, Jordan pours his heart out in song while brandishing a gun. The song is a showstopper; the imagery and implications of…