Fonotune: An Electric Fairytale

It's ok but not the best. If you like people walking slowly for 70+ mins you'll love it.

I recently had the opportunity to view Fonotune at the Cinetopia Film Festival in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the film's American premiere. Before it began, a message from the director played, who suggested for us to "let the movie wash over you". Though I didn't initially understand what this meant, the director's intent became clear as the showing began. With minimal dialogue or obvious plot, the movie was propelled by interesting characters and environments, a stellar soundtrack, and cinematography that was often completely breathtaking. It was like watching a painting, an experience truly unlike any other film I have ever watched. The world building was monumental, and even more impressive due to how minimalistically everything was shown. The world was left vague, but in a way that piqued my interest. I have been thinking about the film's environment since I left the theater last night. Also, the soundtrack was one of the best that I have heard. Everything just looked and sounded really cool. I have not had an experience like Fonotune before in theaters, and I would definitely recommend that anyone who is able to should check it out.

I watched this movie at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain and was blown away by it. Definitely one of my favourite movies that played at the festival. It was a very unique experience. Congratulations to the whole Fonotune team for making such a wonderful piece of art!

Described as a "fairytale", Fonotune is set in an unknown place and time near the end of the world. Appropriately enough, you are left with few information on the characters and the universe they belong to. With barely any dialogues, all we learn from the film is that they are some kind of travelers, inviting the viewer to join them on their journey to meet a rock musician, the charismatic Blitz.

For my part, I was willing to go on this weird trip with them. This is mostly due to the fact that each character - Mono, Analog, Stereo and Bubblegum - has his/her own cool and unique visual style.

Loosely connected at first, these guys share a passion for music. It is their driving force throughout the film, and music is what pulls the viewer right into the movie. It seems music is a means to compensate the lack of spoken words, and its choice and composition is to the point. I also think that the songs felt pretty refreshing compared to usual film soundtracks.

Fonotune is not a film easy to watch, though. Fast-moving and loud on the one side, bleak on the other, it might not be a film for a broad audience. There is no straight storyline and the settings are reduced to a minimum. However, this is exactly what makes the film so very atmospheric and interesting to watch. It is nothing you get to see very often, and thus it is a rare and strange work in the most positive way.

Fonotune is a gently moving exotic still life set in a road movie, which is always refreshingly out of the ordinary. Worth seeing are the lovable characters, the minimalistic but detailed production design and the time and formally boundless aesthetics of the created pictures. For long stretches the film resembles a series of partly surrealistic works, which give the viewer enough time to lean back and look around. Long, uncut scenes. There are wondrous things to see, weird, provocative, things to smile about, but also wild decor. This applies not only to the pictures, but also to the soundtrack, which gives the dystopian mood a successful frame. A lot of creative art, a lot of heart but also a lot of room for interpretation.