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Selective Listening (2014)
A great British indie film.
I love finding little gems like this.
This is the third film I've seen recently about 'the voices in your head'. The first was 'The Voices' (with Ryan Reynolds) and the second was Disney's 'Inside Out'. But, thinking about it, 'Selective Listening' may be my favourite of the three.
It is a film that truly fits within the category of a comedy-drama as it is very funny throughout but held together by a serious theme. It's about a man who hears voices and so uses toys to embody them as a means of controlling them. Therefore, rather than the voices coming from nowhere, they come out of puppets that only he can see. He has one friend who doesn't treat him very well and so he uses social media to try and make new friends, but things don't go as planned.
Each voice has its own personality, like violence and paranoia. I loved the toy that was obsessed with sex! He was hilarious. There is a lot of swearing and offensive insults that might make some people cringe in polite company, but my boyfriend and I laughed all the way through and all the language feels justified because it fits within the context of the film.
There is a psychological aspect to the film because at times the voices become mixed and its unclear what is real or just in the main character's head. It made me feel sorry for the guy and impressed upon me what it must be like to hear voices, let alone be ostracised for having the affliction. But in the midst of it all I was forced into guilty laughter at what was being said.
It is one of those films that you have to watch more than once as there is so much humour and so many things going on, I could tell there were jokes hidden in the background and I sometimes missed jokes because he was laughing.
The film itself has got charm because it doesn't have a mainstream feel and, although it is apparently low-budget, it doesn't feel cheap. I didn't recognise any of the actors but they are all really good. I love the girl who is obsessed with her social media page and "film career". Her YouTube audition for a low-budget gangster film made me laugh. It has some great shots and the script is funny and original.
A funny film to watch from the outside, but I definitely wouldn't want those voices in my head! 8/10