Noise (2007 Australian film)

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Noise
Noise (2007 Australian film) poster.jpg
theatrical poster
Directed by Matthew Saville
Written byMatthew Saville
Produced byTrevor Blainey
Starring Brendan Cowell
Henry Nixon
Luke Elliot
Katie Wall
Maia Thomas
Nicholas Bell
CinematographyLaszlo Baranyai
Edited byGeoff Hitchins
Music by Bryony Marks
Distributed by Madman Entertainment (Australia)
Film Movement (US)
Release date
Running time
108 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Box office$869,107 [2]

Noise is a 2007 Australian drama-thriller film written and directed by Matthew Saville. The film stars Brendan Cowell, Henry Nixon, Luke Elliot, Katie Wall, Maia Thomas and Nicholas Bell.

Contents

Plot

The film is set against the landscape of two potentially related murders: that of an engaged woman in the inner-western Melbourne suburb of Sunshine, and that of seven passengers on a Melbourne train. From there, the film deals primarily with the experiences of Lavinia Smart, a young woman who boarded the train shortly after the murders, and police Constable Graham McGahan, who is afflicted with increasingly severe tinnitus. When he requests light duty on account of his tinnitus, Constable McGahan is assigned the night shift of a police information van in Sunshine, where he encounters the traumatized members of the local community, including Lucky Phil, a mentally handicapped man, and Dean Stouritis, the dead woman's fiancé.

At the same time, the film explores the fear Lavinia experiences after the horrific events she witnessed. Although she escapes with her life, the police are dissatisfied with her statements and accuse her of holding back information. Lavinia is further traumatized when she realizes that the killer has stolen a portrait that can be used to identify her. The police try to reassure her of her safety, but a man she identified in a police lineup easily tracks her down and tries to intimidate her. After Lavinia angrily confronts him and explains her situation, he apologizes and gives her a ride back to her house.

After McGahan dismisses the concerns of Craig Finlay, a profane racist, Finlay ambushes McGahan and opens fire on the van with a shotgun. Finlay also kills a passing motorist while hunting McGahan, who escapes through a window. The crashed car's horn cancels out McGahan's tinnitus, and he hears Finlay approaching him. McGahan kills Finlay, though he is shot and wounded. After he rescues a baby from the car, McGahan collapses, and the film leaves his ultimate fate unresolved.

Cast

Production

Tinnitus was chosen for its inescapability and to emphasise themes of isolation. [3] Matthew Saville begun writing the script after the Port Arthur Massacre in August 1997. He states that he was fascinated by the country's resilience following their grief. The film faced commercial issues: it was designed to be difficult to categorize, unknown actors were chosen for casting, and a distinctly Australian voice made foreign distribution difficult. Saville, however, wanted to remain honest and uncompromising in his script. [4]

Release

Noise premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. [1] It received a limited release in Australia on 3 May 2007 and grossed $869,107 at the box office. [2] It was released on DVD on 10 October 2007. [5]

Reception

Margaret Pomeranz gave the film four and a half stars out of five and David Stratton four out of five on At the Movies . [6] Paul Brynes of The Sydney Morning Herald rated it 3.5/4 stars and called it "an impressive debut, a serious, fresh, surprising film by a writer-director with plenty on his mind." [7] Jake Wilson of The Age rated it 3.5/5 stars and wrote that Saville "demonstrates considerable reserves of dry wit." [8] Russell Edwards of Variety called the film "a slickly executed experiment full of sound and fury, signifying nothing more than technical prowess." [9]

Awards

AwardCategorySubjectResult
AACTA Awards
(2007 AFI Awards)
Best Film Trevor BlaineyNominated
Best Direction Matthew Saville Nominated
Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted Nominated
Best Actor Brendan Cowell Nominated
Best Cinematography Laszlo BaranyaiNominated
Best Editing Geoff HitchinsNominated
Best Original Music Score Bryony Marks Nominated
Best Sound Emma BortignonWon
Philippe DecrausazWon
Doron KipenWon
Best Production Design Paddy ReardonNominated
Australian Directors Guild Best Direction in a Feature FilmMatthew SavilleWon
ASSG Award Feature Film Soundtrack of the YearNominated
Best Achievement in Sound for Film Sound RecordingPhilippe DecrausazNominated
Georgina HanleyNominated
Best Achievement in Sound for Film Sound DesignScott FindlayWon
Gerard LongWon
Jed PalmerWon
Emma BortignonWon
Best Achievement in Sound for Film Sound MixingWon
Doron KipenWon
Keith ThomasWon
AWGIE Award Best Writing in a Feature Film - OriginalMatthew SavilleNominated
Chicago International Film Festival Gold Hugo - New Directors CompetitionNominated
FCCA Awards Best FilmTrevor BlaineyWon
Best DirectorMatthew SavilleWon
Best ScreenplayNominated
Best ActorBrendan CowellWon
Best CinematographyLászló BaranyaiWon
Best EditingGeoff HitchinsWon
Best Music Score Bryony Marks Won
Golden Trailer Award Best Sound EditingNominated
Inside Film Award Best DirectorMatthew SavilleNominated
Best ActorBrendan CowellNominated
Best EditingGeoff HitchinsWon
Best MusicBryony MarksNominated
Best SoundEmma BortignonWon
Philippe DecrausazWon
Doron KipenWon
Leeds International Film Festival Special MentionMatthew SavilleWon
Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury PrizeNominated

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References

  1. 1 2 McCarthy, Todd (29 November 2006). "Sundance reveals 2007 lineup". Variety . Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  2. 1 2 "What's Screening". Screen Australia . Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  3. Pomeranz, Margaret. "Noise Interview". At the Movies . Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  4. "PARK CITY '07 INTERVIEW". Indiewire . 21 January 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  5. Churchill, Chris (24 September 2007). "Noise - Australian Gritty Crime Drama DVD Release". Twitch Film . Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  6. Pomeranz, Margaret; Stratton, David. "Noise". At the Movies . Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  7. Brynes, Paul (5 May 2007). "Noise". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  8. Wilson, Jake (4 May 2007). "Noise". The Age . Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  9. Edwards, Russell (20 January 2007). "Review: 'Noise'". Variety . Retrieved 27 December 2013.