Noise

I like independent movies. I like to see the work of many talented people resulting in a work of art. This piece is one of those. The acting, sound, post, cinematography, story, the entire piece was really good, it is totally worth watching. However, this piece of art tried too hard to suck the audience into its psyche by elongating the scenes to the point of exhaustion. I wonder how many "beats" were in the script. I actually got so bored with the pace of the movie that I decided to get out the ironing board to do something productive with my time while the movie slowly unfolded. So ladies and gents, make sure you bring something to keep you entertained during the unnecessarily long scenes. Chop 15 minutes off the top and you got yourselves a real winner. Still a good little indie.

Now this is what I call a surprise, and one of the best Australian films to come out in the last couple years. Matthew Saville's magnificently striking, movingly sombre and realistically crafted crime drama "Noise" is quite a neat little package that really does over deliver. We follow that of a self-doubting, and tinnitus afflicted cop McGahan, as he finds himself manning a police van in a suburban community that has just been overwhelmed by a group of vicious murders. The script (within the character's make-up), plus the technical side of the production (sound effects) demonstrates some creative brushes with the whole tinnitus angle. Brendan Conwell's convincing lead performance is nothing more than sensational, in what is a vulnerable turn of coming to terms with the responsibility of his duties and the growing fear of his uncertain health. Maia Thomas' traumatised performance is just as hypnotically good. Saville's lean material is high on mood, blunt and darkly engaging on the gradual build-up of the inner-workings of his characters and environment. The location photography is masterfully shot, and the lighting composition also helps provoke an arresting and brooding atmosphere that shrouds the air. The direction of Saville is casually handled with a prominent rich style, and Bryony Marks' alienating music score never overstays its welcome. Meaningfully top-notch and powerful entertainment.

I loved this film. It's a subtle, layered and measured work with good performances and a wonderful use of music and sound design. The story is well paced and again I see it in musical terms with the crescendos and diminuendos carefully crafted and motifs re-occurring throughout. I also found it a visual pleasure - well lit and photographed.

For a lot of the time, the soundscape echoes the tinnitus of the lead character. Constable McGann is a man isolated in several senses and the film hovers for the most part, like he does, on the periphery of a horrendous and senseless crime. This isn't really a police procedural, but an exploration of the lives affected by the event - the locals sitting just outside the event horizon and in danger of getting sucked into the vortex.

There's knowledge hidden from us, the audience, and also events and motivations that are hidden from the protagonists - even those directly affected by them and involving them. To that extent, this movie reminds me a lot of Memento.Meaning unfolds and understanding grows as the film progresses, but at the end, you are deliberately left with pieces missing from the jigsaw puzzle. It seems to me that you are meant to be left with a sense of the fragility of society; a sense that there will always be gaps in the way we understand our relationships to others and in the way our lives play out.

I love the way that the movie ends with austere credits rolling over a couple of minutes of silence, before sound in the form of an orchestra creeps back into our perception, instrument by instrument. We share the hero's aural affliction throughout the movie and the silence and re-introduction of sound offers a sense of change and resolution - and maybe hope.

This is a small film, it could very well have been quality television in the vein of "The Surgeon" or "Blue Murder" as opposed to a cinematic piece as I viewed it (Dendy Newtown). The technical aspects - cinematography, score, sound design, production design etc... are all at a high level and what we (Australians), have come to expect from a film of this genre and budget , but no more. The performances are across the board solid, dry and accessible, and it is a pleasant change to see some newish faces as opposed to the usual subjects.. The script/story is nothing particularly outstanding or original and this style of social comment/genre pic subject matter has been covered by many and various other films over the past years.

But! And this is a big but. In the hands of this filmmaker, writer/director Matthew Saville, all these ingredients mold and mesh into something that elevates every element to serve a singular and defining purpose, that purpose being the film in its entirety, its meanings and commentary that lie in the cracks of all these artists' work and their complementary and beautifully orchestrated synergy .

Having seen the film twice in as many days; Noise is a brilliant film and I highly recommend it to anyone who has a love of silent cinematic exploration.

Oh man, what a great film. I enjoyed this so much. You'd be much better not knowing too much about it - but since you're here, you already know a fair bit (and I promise not to tell you any more). This is a 'grower,' one of those quiet, strong movies that not everyone will 'get' or appreciate. To me, it worked in the same way as Trampoline, Sideways, Little Miss Sunshine (and indeed Sunshine) and You, Me and Everyone We Know (I think that was its name) work... quirk, waywardness, risk. For it to succeed in working for some of us, almost by definition it's bound to alienate lots of others, too. I'm not surprised that some will say "Huh? Is that it?" But the ways it plays with the notion of noise and not-hearing and hearing something but not the right thing are just tremendous. So three cheers for writer and director Matt Saville. Ditto too for the acting - not a wrong note or bad performance among 'em.

I'm still thinking about this movie a couple of days on... Do yourself a favour, try not to learn any more about this, try not to let my raving set too high an expectation, and get along and see it for yourself. I hope you're one of those who DO get it.