Review of Till Human Voices Wake Us (2002) by Torxen A — 25 Sep 2007

Some movies grab you because of an elaborate plot, some because of the special effects, others for great acting. Human Voices has nothing that you can really put your finger on but still manages to present a touching and beautiful film, it would appear to be the master of understatement. Whilst it appears to move at a gentle pace it gradually draws you into its intrigue and mystery until you are riveted to the piece before you. In an age of big budget epics, CGI special effects and bloodshed and gratuitous violence, this film is the perfect antidote, a film that takes its style from the golden age of classic cinema and gives it a contemporary finish.

Dr Sam Franks (Guy Pearce) is returning to the town of his youth to fulfil the dying wish of his father, to bury him in a plot that he chose for himself years before his death. Franks is a solitary and reserved man, the image in many ways of his late father and the return to his childhood home forces him to have to face some painful events of the past. Through out his childhood he had one close friend, Silvy and they seem destined to become more deeply involved with each other until a tragic accident takes them away from each other. Whilst visiting the places of his youth he rescues a young woman (Helena Bonham-Carter) from suicide. The woman Ruby awakes after her ordeal to find her memory gone and together they set about trying to rebuild her past. As Dr Franks sets about trying to help her to regain what she has lost the two slowly become attracted to each other. What Franks realises is that Ruby has much in common with his childhood sweet heart, too much. Things that she says, does and the way she views the world causes him to question who Ruby really is. It is difficult to explain much about the plot without giving too much away, but suffice it to say that the story is touching and full of intrigue.

The film is very much a two person act and the two leads play the parts wonderfully. There is a tranquillity to the film that is not often found in modern cinema and above all its a film that makes you think about the characters. Although the main thrust of the plot is fairly easily followed there are a number of conclusions that can be drawn from the events and which one you chose is dependant on your own beliefs and views of the world, life and mortality. Many themes are touched upon as the film moves through its paces, not only loss and how we deal with it, but the subject of death and the afterlife, as well as recurring patterns being inherited from father to son. There is a lot of subtle imagery used in the film, moths to lights being the obvious one and the whole use of recurring icons seems vaguely reminiscent of the avant garde movies of the sixties and you can see the influence of such films as Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries.

There is a dreamlike feel to the story helped by the seductive look of the Australian countryside that the film is set against, and it is that dream quality that helps create the desired atmosphere to the story. Like the poetry that is prevalent in the story line, the whole film seems almost to be a poem set on film, and with that in mind the mix of realistic scenes and the more otherworldly scenarios, such as a Lady of Shalot style ending make more sense. As I said before it is difficult to go into very much detail without ruining the beauty of the story line, but if you are looking for something a bit out of pace with modern film making, something thought provoking, and relying on good acting and a story line that draws you in slowly, then this is the film for you.