The Listeners

Having read the synopsis for this before starting to watch it I thought this would be really interesting. The overall rating for this was around 5/10, so it had very mixed reviews.

The idea for the story is good. The story starts off quite well and had potential. Unfortunately it just got really weird and creepy.

This is ok to have on in the background but not to waste four hours of your life.

The story had too many plot holes and just got more irritating the more you watched.

Overall it's a poor storyline with poor script, dialogue and acting.

Such a shame because this story could have been so much better. A wasted opportunity.

The premise of Listeners - people who can hear a mysterious low humming sound - might feel familiar, but this drama finds a way to make it feel fresh. Rather than focusing on the mystery of the hum itself, Listeners takes a deeper, more emotional approach, exploring how this strange phenomenon changes the lives of those who hear it.

What really works is how the story leans into the human side of the concept. It's not just about the sound; it's about what it does to people, which makes it far more engaging than you might expect.

The acting is solid, with performances that draw you in without overplaying the drama. And the sound design is just subtle enough to make the hum feel like another character in the story, ever-present and unsettling.

Listeners strikes a balance between eerie and intimate, making it more than just another mystery. It's a thought-provoking exploration of how the unexplainable can shape our lives - and well worth a watch.

Short series about a woman who starts hearing a sound no one else around her appears to be able to hear, and how it deeply affects her public and personal life - shifting her allegiances and tearing holes in her reality.

Rebecca Hall puts in a great performance, and there are some nice details, too - both in cinematography and not least the sound design.

I was mainly drawn to The Listeners by its title and theme, and while the storyline doesn't always evolve in a pleasant way, I did find it interesting in relation to subjective experiences of life and the impact they can have on our relationships to others - both in terms of closeness and alienation.

The eerie aspect is to do with the fact that hearing is subjective - no one essentially experiences the world in the same way - and how this opens up questions around empathy, trust, understanding, support, exploitation, and mental health.

This series is beautifully shot and deserves your full attention. It's neither obvious nor linear and it's not sexual or sordid. The people criticising this show are no different to the characters doubting Claire in the story. Is it perfect or life-changing? Maybe not, but it's absolutely fascinating and the cinematography is absolutely stunning. From the title card to the abstract sequences, it's a thriller with a very subtle supernatural undertone. If you enjoyed The Leftovers or The OA this one is for you. There's a lot to chew on and it's worth a rewatch as well. It'll go down as a cult classic.

While there's nothing particularly deep here, there are some strong and very measured performances. It did make me think about things as I was watching it and it certainly wasn't predictable. The conclusion was also reasonably satisfying.

Rebecca Hall was very believable as Claire. I also particularly liked the performance of Amr Waked as Omar.

Without giving any spoilers, I think it is possible to say this is "about" people who are suffering (hearing the "hum" that most cannot) and trying to find someone who can help them. It strikes me it is also "about" the way the brain can construct both helpful and unhelpful explanations.

Well worth a watch, so long as you're not looking for anything deep and meaningful. (I enjoyed this enough to binge watch it last night.)