THE SOUND OF SILENCE: An Evocative Film About The Nature Of Sound & Humankind

Sounds and vibrations undoubtedly shape the world as we know it, in turn capable of evoking a variety of emotions and mental states. This is the case with anxiety and hyperawareness to noise and, of course, the serenity we can feel when we listen our favorite music. This idea is essentially what Michael Tyburski seeks to tell in his feature film directorial debut, The Sound of Silence.

No, it’s not like the Simon and Garfunkel song, but perhaps as emotionally resonant. The Sound of Silence stars Peter Sarsgaard and Rashida Jones in an absurdly conceptual film about human relationships and how sound can impact them. 

Finding The Right Key

The film follows Peter Lucian (Sarsgaard), an obsessed musical theorists whose profession, as oddly as it seems, is that of a “house tuner.” This essentially means that he goes to different clients who suffer from various issues and tunes the sounds in their home to be in harmony, thus alleviating their problems.

Peter’s methods, though not scientifically proven, have worked wonders for most of his clients except Ellen Chasen (Rashida Jones). As he continuously attempts to tune the sound in Chasen’s apartment, he eventually finds that there may be more to his methods. The concept of sound, or any external stimulus for that matter, shaping relationships is a thought-provoking idea that places The Sound of Silence among the most intriguing films of the year.

Creating an Ensemble

This movie is definitely unique, and the familiar faces of Jones and Sarsgaard, with the addition of Tony Revolori, offer touching performances and a chemistry that radiates off of the screen. Their relationship feels justly human, which perfectly fits into the premise at work. This high concept film is grounded and thus helmed by these somber portrayals that reflect on obsession and introversion. 

This isn’t a movie that’s going to leave you in awe or gasping in excitement, but it may resonate on a very personal level. It’s a relatively small-scaled film, and works well as such — it knows exactly what it wants to be and leaves enough breathing room for the audience to mediate on its abstractions.

Tyburski is new to full length features, but it is evident that he had a clear vision in making this movie. The Sound of Silence is visually effective, creating a gloomy atmosphere to balance the character of its main stars. It’s dark and melancholic, and this complements all other aspects of the film.

Of course, the movie at its core is about sound, and by design, it’s sonically powerful. It works with different pitches and volumes to portray noise the way its leading act, Peter, understands it. At times, its sound may be too potent, as some scenes left me wondering if I’d suddenly gotten tinnitus. Otherwise it uses sound superbly, with intricate panning, an emotive design, and a delicate score to back it.

Lacking a Crescendo

I stand by the notion that The Sound of Silence is a highly innovative film, although grounded, but it isn’t as brilliant as I believe it wanted to be. This is a creative piece of fiction that mostly kept my interest due to the ideas at play, and although these ideas were intriguing, the film lacked the volume of other brilliant indie films like A Ghost Story or Whiplash — relatively small but unique films that carried far more emotional weight and reached high levels of cinematic achievement.

It’s not completely fair to compare this film to other indie films, but ultimately The Sound of Silence doesn’t do much to reach new heights or have enough flare to drag it out of being just a genuine concept. It is emotionally resonant, but it only swayed me subtly rather than greatly.

I was left with a sense of wonder and a pleasant melancholia, but these feelings were short-lived, and I’m not sure The Sound of Silence exceeds anything more than an insightful watch. The short length of the film nicely wraps together the charm that is found here, though, leaving viewers to at least ponder over a tasteful concept.

The Sound of Silence: Conclusion

There are beautiful qualities at work here, making for a sometimes poignant and harmonious film about the nature of sound and humanity. The Sound of Silence is peculiar and intriguing in that, but it never really hits the high notes that make a great indie film. Sarsgaard and Jones at least elevate the genuineness of the narrative, which makes for a thought-provoking watch.

What did you think of The Sound of Silence? Do you think sound shapes the way we live? Let us know!

The Sound of Silence was released on VOD and in select theaters on September 13th.