Previous SIDEWALKS ENTERTAINMENT guest Brit Marling (“Another Earth”) co-writes and stars in “Sound of My Voice.” Mika gives us her thoughts on Marling’s latest film.
“SOUND OF MY VOICE”
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Rating: R
Run Time: 85 Minutes
Directed by Zal Batmanglij
Written by Brit Marlng & Zal Batmanglij
Cast: Brit Marling, Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicius
Studio Synopsis:
In SOUND OF MY VOICE, Peter (Christopher Denham) and Lorna (Nicole Vicius), a couple and documentary filmmaking team, infiltrate a mysterious group led by an enigmatic young woman named Maggie (Brit Marling). Intent on exposing her as a charlatan and freeing the followers from her grip, Peter and Lorna start to question their objective and each other as they unravel the secrets of Maggie’s underworld.
Mika’s Take:
I like thrillers. I like the scary music and the anxiety it brings. I like to curl up, cover my eyes and peek through my fingers in anticipation for the big scare. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any of these things from the sci-fi “thriller”, “Sound of My Voice.” Instead of leaving with the thought of, “OMG that was so scary”, I left with a sense of confusion.
Written by Zal Batmanglij, the film depicts a young couple who pretends to be interested in a cult in order to get footage for their documentary. Peter and Lorna (Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicius) attend frequent cult meetings that are held by a leader named Maggie (Brit Marling). The cult meetings are held at Maggie’s house, which is an unknown location that neither Peter, Lorna or a fellow cult follower know a nearby address or street. Maggie is certainly idolized by her followers as they’re extremely fascinated by her every touch, word and command.
Peter becomes more interested in Maggie and the cult than Lorna, causing the couple a little bit of tension. Knowing that she has the power to control others, Maggie pushes Peter to step beyond his boundaries and let go of his emotions, tears and even do favors that put his job in jeopardy.
And just when you thought that I could be just a little more vague, the film had nothing else to offer. A short film that ran only 85 minutes abruptly ended, leaving you to think, “Wait, what happened?” And that’s exactly how I felt: confused. I suggest waiting out the three or four months that it takes for the film to make its way to OnDemand and then watching it.