Earlier this week I was invited to attend a special NY screening of Fox Searchlight’s upcoming Sundance hit, Sound of My Voice, where I covered the red carpet, screened the film and got to attend the after party at the Electric Room allowing me the opportunity to briefly talk with Brit about a proper reaction to the film (I’ll explain this later).
Sound of My Voice was directed and co-written by Zal Batmanglij and stars Brit Marling (Another Earth), who co-wrote the feature as well. The film follows a journalist, Peter Aitken (Christopher Denham), and his girlfriend Lorna (Nicole Vicius), who infiltrate a cult that worships a woman claiming to be from the future in hopes of obtaining footage for a documentary. The more time they spend in the cult, the further they are pulled in, which not only threatens their relationship but possibly even their lives.
It’s hard to find films these days that challenge the viewer and that make the cinematic experience somewhat of an effort, requiring audiences to continually think as the movie progresses and to meet the filmmakers halfway. Brit and Zal give the audience enough information to understand what’s going on but leave information out so that you can interpret the scenes yourself. This is what makes Sound of My Voice such an intriguing and captivating feature despite its rather slow pace; you have to decide if Maggie is for real or if she is a con artist.
Though it is a drama, the film is also pretty funny at times. To quote Zal, there is “laughter amongst the dread” and this becomes truly evident when Maggie sings a song that was very popular in the future, which I won’t spoil. Another instance is when we realize that Maggie “isn’t a saint,” she’s simply from the future and has bad habits just like we do. The scenes provide a serious amount of relief as there are three moments in the film that WILL make you squirm as you can start to feel the tension slowly begin to rise.
If you are looking for pure entertainment then this isn’t the film for you as you’ll be required to think a little bit, but the payoff is both wonderful and frustrating. The ending will leave you extremely puzzled and your brain may hurt for a bit because the finale can be interpreted in two distinct ways. SPOILER The first way is t
o believe that she is actually from the future and what Peter witnessed validates that prospect. The second way is to believe that the entire thing was a con and that everybody involved, including the Justice Department and the kid, were in on it from the get go. This is where my brief conversation where Brit comes into play. She said I should go the romantic route and think positively, so I’m bound to settle on the first theory. END SPOILER
Overall, Sound of My Voice was one of the few slow burning dramas I’ve truly enjoyed over the past year or two. I liked it more than Another Earth and found its ambiguity and “no excess” style refreshing. It’s an intelligent film that’s elevated by its unique story, solid directing and wonderful performances from its leads. To sum it all up, it’s an unsettling indie drama with subtle sci-fi elements that most people should take the time to see.
Rating: A slow burning, eerie and thought provoking sci-fi-ish drama that’ll keep you thinking long after the credits roll (7/10)
As mentioned earlier, I covered the red carpet (or black tile) before the screening where I had the opportunity to briefly interview the filmmakers who discuss the film and their upcoming projects all with the massive Gucci step and repeat behind them. Check it all out in the video below!
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