Till Human Voices Wake Us

2002
R
1h 41m

IMDb RATING

6.3/10

2.5K

YOUR RATING

Helena Bonham Carter and Guy Pearce in Till Human Voices Wake Us (2002)

Play trailer2:36

2 Videos

7 Photos

Drama Romance

A man returns to Victoria, Australia, where he grew up, and encounters a mysterious woman who reminds him of someone he once knew.A man returns to Victoria, Australia, where he grew up, and encounters a mysterious woman who reminds him of someone he once knew.A man returns to Victoria, Australia, where he grew up, and encounters a mysterious woman who reminds him of someone he once knew.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.3/10

2.5K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 nominations total

Videos2

Trailer 2:36

Till Human Voices Wake Us

Trailer 2:28

Till Human Voices Wake Us

Trailer 2:28

Till Human Voices Wake Us

Photos6

+ 3

User reviews49

6.32.5K

Featured reviews

9derekbradford

Amazing cinematography and lighting

As one who would like to make films some day, this film blew my mind as an example of superb cinematography and lighting, as well as balanced and subtle acting. Guy Pearce was a little rigid, but i haven't seen him in anything else, so that may have been an affectation of the morose and sombre character he was playing. Bonham Carter would be a dream to work with. She's a master of the art and has a sly dark, sexuality that i can't resist. I haven't yet, but i'll be searching out the cinematography and lighting credits and looking for more of the work of those fine technicians. Good work on a difficult and slow paced psychological drama.

8suzannadavi

This is a mental/emotional movie - not meant for action-lovers

I was reading some of the previous reviews and realized that not everyone would get or like this movie - it is not one I would recommend to many friends, but I loved it. Painful, real, acknowledging of life's moments to regret- it made me think of the line from the Big Kahuna when Danny Divito says you have lots to regret, you just don't know it yet (paraphrase) - another great non-action movie. I saw nothing of the paranormal in this movie - I think that is an interpretation by those who do not get it. Beautifully done and tenderly told, I heartily recommend this movie to a small handful of special people which included my 15 year old daughter.

michlam

A Beautiful, Beautiful Film

I am not one to write comments on films on many occasions but I recently saw this movie and it touched me so much that I felt compelled to comment on the film.

"Till Human Voices Wake Us" was beautiful in it's imagery and cinematography, music, acting and writing. It had so many themes which resonated with me on such a deep level. Themes such as look at how we deal with traumas in our life and how they impact on who we become as an adult. Themes about looking at the patterns of behaviour passed down from generation to generation and the huge difficulty in breaking those patterns. Perhaps most important to me was the message that you have to work through your past in a positive way so that you can be free to live your future.

The characters were so beautifully created and the subtlety of the performances was just so moving. It's amazing how a glance or a breath can convey so many words and feelings.

I thoroughly loved this film and its images, themes and lyrical beauty have come back to me again and again since seeing the film. Thank you to all involved for providing me with such a wonderful experience.

9Heavy_Storm

Touches us...

I can't understand exactly why this movie seemed so good to me. It doesn't have a very elaborated plot. But the movie somehow speaks to us.

The way the director tell such a dense story is marvelous. Movies like this leaves us breathing deeply when it ends. You will fall in love for the characters, and pity them.

The movie suffers from a certain lack of complexity. In some minutes you can easily understand what's happening (and, if you read the box summary, then you will get it in no time at all). Still, it's pretty, and adorable.

The musical score is perfect. It draws us into the movie most of the time, and makes our hearth pounds together with the scenes.

Till Human Voices Wake Us is a poem. Simply as that.

7MattyGibbs

A sad tale of lost love

I am a big fan of both Guy Pearce and Australian cinema so I was pleased to chance upon this film recently. Pearce plays a psychologist Dr Sam Franks who is haunted by a tragic past. A chance meeting with a stranger changes his life.

This a slow moving but engrossing story which flits back and forth from Sams childhood to the current day as we get to know what shaped him into a lonely and tortured soul. The film works equally well in both time periods as the pieces are put in place as it builds to an emotional ending.

The acting is excellent from all parties. I'm not Helena Bonham Carters biggest fan but she does a good job in this. Also impressive are the younger actors especially Lindley Joiner as the young Sam.

Till Human Voices Wake Us is a tragic tale of lost love and how this can deeply affect all of us. It won't appeal to everyone but for people who like well written drama this is well worth watching.

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Trivia
The title is taken from the last line of the 1917 poem 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' by T.S. Eliot. It reads: "Till human voices wake us and we drown".

Goofs
As Sam slowly reaches over and closes his dead father's eyes, we can see his father's shirt rising and falling with his breathing

Quotes
Silvy Lewis: If moths are attracted to the light, why don't they come out in the day?
Young Sam Franks: ...guess in the day, light comes to them.

Alternate versions
-Minor Spoilers* The film was dramatically reworked for the international version (ie. American release) due to pressure by its distributor who felt the stars needed to appear before their original appearance nearly 35 minutes into the film. Under supervision by the director Michael Petroni, the entire film structure has been altered using some unused footage (that doesn't otherwise appear in the original Australian cut) and trimming nearly 5 minutes of footage in order to introduce the adult Sam character (Guy Pearce) at the beginning of the film rather than a half and hour into it. Flashbacks are then implored from the original 35 minutes of the Australian cut for the Young Sam and Silvy scenes. Additionally, Dale Cornelius' original music score has almost entirely been replaced by an orchestral score written by Amotz Plessner. The results ultimately lead to two very different approached to the material with different tones. The original, director intended, version plays more like a romantic drama with a past/present connection whilst the international cut has been reworked to play more as a mystery with possible supernatural undertones.
End Spoilers *