Review of Sound of My Voice (2011) by Chris S — 12 May 2012

"Another Earth" was really my introduction to writer/actress Brit Marling and what an introduction that was. I thoroughly enjoyed "Another Earth" and its ending not only made you think, but stayed with you longer than the average film conclusion. While it did have its fair share of flaws, what you took away most from "Another Earth" was that there were people out there trying to make films that were original and thought provoking and "Sound of My Voice" is along those same lines.

A journalist named Peter (Christopher Denham) and his girlfriend Lorna (Nicole Vicius) take it upon themselves to go undercover and join a cult led by Maggie (Brit Marling), a woman who claims to be from 2054, with the intention of revealing Maggie's fraudulent ways to the world. Both Peter and Lorna seem to be pulled deeper and deeper into Maggie's claims as their investigation continues. Lorna begins to think they're getting in over their heads as Peter wants to see things through to the end no matter what it takes.

Imagine driving to someone's house where you park in their garage and await further instructions. A man comes out and knocks on your windshield. He leads you inside and gives you a towel and a change of clothing before showing you where the bathrooms are and to "Use soap thoroughly." After your shower, you're blindfolded, put into a van with other blindfolded passengers, and driven to an undisclosed location. The blindfolds are taken off upon arrival and you're lead downstairs where a middle aged man with long gray hair awaits. You must then pull off one of the most elaborate secret handshakes of all time before being seated with the other guests and eventually meeting the one you seek. You happily endure all of this before every meeting. This is what is asked of anyone who expects to be in Maggie's presence.

After viewing "Sound of My Voice", your tolerance for watching people throw up will probably be maxed out for the rest of the year. Fans of "The Simpsons" will be reminded of The Stonecutters during the secret handshake scenes, as well. With such an emphasis placed on "Dreams" by The Cranberries, it was surprising that that song wasn't playing during the end credits. What we received instead was some synthpop song that didn't really suit the film at all.

"Sound of My Voice" seemed a bit too similar to "Another Earth" for me though. If you swap an alternate reality being visible in our atmosphere for a cult surrounding a woman claiming to be from the future, they play out in similar fashion or at least have similar formulas. That isn't necessarily a bad thing because it's still smarter than the average film gaining steam at the box office, but it made certain plot points easier to predict without really trying.

"Sound of My Voice" is still a clever piece of cinema that deserves praise for at least attempting to be equivocal, but its formula is a bit too similar to "Another Earth" to really blow you away. Everyone who attended the screening gathered and had a discussion about the movie after it was over. Most seemed to think "Sound of My Voice" should have been shorter. At 85 minutes, I felt like it was just gaining momentum when it ended.

"Sound of My Voice" plays tug of war with your reasoning throughout its duration. Is Maggie really just pulling a con or is she from the future? The way the film is able to alter the way you look at that situation on more than one occasion is its strongest asset. It's reminiscent of unraveling the mystery of whether demons actually walk amongst us in "Frailty". While it is unique in that aspect, it isn't quite as good as you expect it to be. The film begins as a nearly solved Rubik's Cube that takes the majority of the film to complete. Right when you're about to solve it, it's taken away. While it's more than likely purposely ambiguous on one hand, it's completely frustrating on the other.