If you enjoy films which leave lots of unanswered questions and food for debate, then Sound Of My Voice might be the very thing to whet your appetite. If, however, you like to feel a sense of closure as the credits roll at the end of a movie, you should avoid this like the plague. One might call it a "mystery-without-a-solution", a deliberate brain teaser that throws up endless possibilities but stubbornly refuses to reveal its answers. Fascinating, yes, but perhaps a little too pretentious and frustrating for the average viewer.
Young documentary film-makers Peter Aitken (Christopher Denham) and Lorna Michaelson (Nicole Vicius) attempt to infiltrate a secret cult in California, hoping to expose those behind it of fraud while making a name for themselves in the field of investigative journalism. The leader of the cult is Maggie (Brit Marling, co-writer of the film), an enigmatic woman who claims to be from the future. She welcomes Peter, Lorna and a number of other new recruits into her group, and subjects them to a number of intense emotional tests, claiming that if they prove worthy she will lead them to a better life than the one the future holds for them. The situation becomes more convoluted when Peter shows signs of falling under Maggie's mesmerising spell. He assures Lorna that he is simply playing a part, trying to convince Maggie and her followers that he supports their beliefs, but Lorna is not so sure. In a disturbing turn of events, Peter is instructed by Maggie to bring him a child, specifically 8 year-old Abigial Pritchett (Avery Pohl), a gifted but mentally unstable pupil from the school where Peter used to work. Reluctant to play a part in a potential kidnapping, yet determined to complete his investigation, Peter is faced with an impossible choice. A choice made even more perplexing when Maggie claims that she is, in fact, Abigail's future daughter
The low-key documentary-style approach works well on the whole, generating a sense of unsettling paranoia and mistrust. It's hard to have confidence in the motives of any of the film's characters, as everyone seems to be lying or potentially lying about something or other at various points in the story (even Peter and Lorna). There are clues that perhaps Maggie is a brainwashed junkie; perhaps young Abigail is being indoctrinated for a terrorist cause; perhaps Lorna is a spy working toward an end-game of her own; perhaps Maggie really is a time traveller and not necessarily the only one in the film (there's a hint that another character may have come from the future to capture her). The key word is 'perhaps' – everything is open-ended and nothing is made specific, so that as the credits roll a seemingly endless list of questions is left dangling before the viewer. It seems likely that writer-director Zal Batmanglij and his co-scripter Marling have muddied the waters intentionally, aiming presumably for a Donnie Darko-style 'multiple interpretation' vibe. The performances are generally very engaging, especially Marling as the beguiling cult leader, and the film is neatly paced to keep the audience intrigued throughout. Ultimately, the whole thing proves a little too ambiguous for its own good – there's nothing wrong with leaving things open for individual interpretation, but in this case almost everything remains unexplained. If you can handle going for a ride without arriving at an identifiable final destination, then Sound Of My Voice offers some interestingly mind-boggling ideas. It might be the most frustrating film of the year, but that's not entirely a bad thing.
Young documentary film-makers Peter Aitken (Christopher Denham) and Lorna Michaelson (Nicole Vicius) attempt to infiltrate a secret cult in California, hoping to expose those behind it of fraud while making a name for themselves in the field of investigative journalism. The leader of the cult is Maggie (Brit Marling, co-writer of the film), an enigmatic woman who claims to be from the future. She welcomes Peter, Lorna and a number of other new recruits into her group, and subjects them to a number of intense emotional tests, claiming that if they prove worthy she will lead them to a better life than the one the future holds for them. The situation becomes more convoluted when Peter shows signs of falling under Maggie's mesmerising spell. He assures Lorna that he is simply playing a part, trying to convince Maggie and her followers that he supports their beliefs, but Lorna is not so sure. In a disturbing turn of events, Peter is instructed by Maggie to bring him a child, specifically 8 year-old Abigial Pritchett (Avery Pohl), a gifted but mentally unstable pupil from the school where Peter used to work. Reluctant to play a part in a potential kidnapping, yet determined to complete his investigation, Peter is faced with an impossible choice. A choice made even more perplexing when Maggie claims that she is, in fact, Abigail's future daughter
The low-key documentary-style approach works well on the whole, generating a sense of unsettling paranoia and mistrust. It's hard to have confidence in the motives of any of the film's characters, as everyone seems to be lying or potentially lying about something or other at various points in the story (even Peter and Lorna). There are clues that perhaps Maggie is a brainwashed junkie; perhaps young Abigail is being indoctrinated for a terrorist cause; perhaps Lorna is a spy working toward an end-game of her own; perhaps Maggie really is a time traveller and not necessarily the only one in the film (there's a hint that another character may have come from the future to capture her). The key word is 'perhaps' – everything is open-ended and nothing is made specific, so that as the credits roll a seemingly endless list of questions is left dangling before the viewer. It seems likely that writer-director Zal Batmanglij and his co-scripter Marling have muddied the waters intentionally, aiming presumably for a Donnie Darko-style 'multiple interpretation' vibe. The performances are generally very engaging, especially Marling as the beguiling cult leader, and the film is neatly paced to keep the audience intrigued throughout. Ultimately, the whole thing proves a little too ambiguous for its own good – there's nothing wrong with leaving things open for individual interpretation, but in this case almost everything remains unexplained. If you can handle going for a ride without arriving at an identifiable final destination, then Sound Of My Voice offers some interestingly mind-boggling ideas. It might be the most frustrating film of the year, but that's not entirely a bad thing.