Great Film: White Noise
Chilling and effective.
White Noise is a film that takes a true scientific phenomenon, and
makes a film out of it. The phenomenon is one which involves electronic
recording/broadcast equipment. In amongst white-noise (that crackle and
hiss you get on a blank recording) and static on untuned TV reception
there are voices and images discernible. Sometimes these voices have
been clear enough to work out, and many people believe they are the
voices and images of those who have died, trying to contact the living.
In the film, Michael Keaton plays Jonathan Rivers, an estate agent who
loses his wife. When he is approached by Raymond, a man who lost his
son years ago and claims he has heard from Jonathan's wife, it draws
him into the phenomenon, and pretty soon he becomes obsessed, recording
his own tapes and viewing/listening to them for messages. Then,
suddenly, the messages become clear, and seem to be premonitions. Can
he decipher the meaning of the messages, or will he disturb something
best left alone? I was uncertain going into the film what to expect.
Too many times the film world have come up with a great concept, but
failed to deliver anything more than mediocre when it is a horror
subject. Expecting another Godsend, I was pleasantly surprised to find
a pretty good film, with some nice touches, and chills. Admittedly the
story wouldn't look out of place on X-Files, but unlike the recent The
Forgotten, it manages to feel complete, and doesn't seem to take the
easy option at the end.
The direction by Sax (best know for his TV work such as Tipping the
Velvet, Dr Who, Clocking Off, and Spitting Image to name a few) is more
than sufficient, and he uses the white-noise to great effect. A little
buzz here, and flicker there all serve to unnerve, and you could be
forgiven for thinking you are watching another Japanese adaptation.
There are a lot of similarities to eastern horror throughout, the use
of silence the unnerve, the distorted images in the TV sets, and so on.
Only the occasion "music to let you know you should jump" lets down the
tone.
Nevertheless, with a well woven script which doesn't pander to the
lowest denominator, and a sterling performance from Michael Keaton, who
hasn't really had a presence on the screen since 1998s Jack Frost, make
this an enjoyable little movie which deserves a viewing or two.
Cast
- Mirabelle Keegan played by Keegan Connor Tracy
- Jonathan Rivers played by Michael Keaton
- Raymond Price played by Ian Mcneice
- Sarah Tate played by Deborah Kara Unger
- Business Man played by L. Harvey Gold
- Anna Rivers played by Chandra West
- Jane played by Sarah Strange
