From the first moment to the last, Sound of My Voice grabs hold and doesn’t let go. In an age of smart phones, a compliment like that goes a long way. As the story unravels the characters grow, connecting the audience more and more. Expect to see this film on more than a few top ten lists at the end of the year, including my own.
Christopher Denham stars as Peter, a journalist who, along with his girlfriend Lorna (Nicole Vicius), go undercover to investigate a mysterious cult whose leader Maggie (Brit Marling, who also co-wrote the screenplay with director Zal Batmanglij) claims to be from the future. What’s initially supposed to be an expose on the cult becomes blurred as Peter and Lorna get sucked in and take a more active part in the goings-on of their subject. They begin to doubt their cynicism: is Maggie actually from the future?
If there’s any justice in the world, Marling will be a big player in the movie scene real soon. Not only is her talent shown in the script she helped co-write, but her portrayal of Maggie is so engrossing I found myself getting sucked into this fictional following. She commands the screen, never coming off as crazy for crazy’s sake, even when some of things she says can be easily taken that way. There’s something special in her performance that you can’t quite place. When she’s on screen, all heads are glued to what’s happening.
Sound of My Voice also features excellent performances all around, and is beautifully shot, by Rachel Morrison. In addition, the background music, which consists of mostly ambiance, aids in capturing and correctly defining the mood of the film, an aura of uncertainty and unsettled-ness. Little mundane actions like the cult’s secret handshake, (which, okay, was a little goofy), are given an extra oomph by the ambient noise.
And yet, despite the eerie undertones, the over-the-top lines and the high drama, Sound of My Voice feels completely realistic, completely plausible. There’s a looming sense of uneasiness buried beneath the surface that keeps you unnerved and engulfed. It’s movies like this that make film festivals worth going to.