Noise (Ruido) is a Spanish language film based in Mexico starring Julieta Egurrola, Teresa Ruiz, Erick Israel Consuelo, Adrián Vázquez and Arturo Beristáin among other cast members. It is directed by Natalia Beristain who also joins the film as a writer along with Diego Enrique Osorno and Alo Valenzuela, having a run time of 105 minutes.
Netflix description of the film reads:
A SEARCH FOR HER MISSING DAUGHTER LEADS A MOTHER TO A SUPPORT NETWORK WHERE SHE BONDS WITH OTHER WOMEN WHOSE LIVES HAVE BEEN DESTROYED BY VIOLENCE.
-Noise Review Contains Some Spoilers-
Deciding to move on often feels like an admission of defeat. Something the protagonist in this film, Julia can deeply relate to. After searching for her missing daughter, Gertrudis, who has been gone for nine months, police officers and her daughter’s father have been imploring her to move on. However, there is a defiance in her that stops other people from pushing too hard on this.
Although the film starts with an interesting shot of her with a glazed look and a plume of purple smoke, we soon come to terms with the fact that there will be shots in the film that visualise her internal states. It would be ghastly, however, to not note the cinematography in the film, symmetrical shots, spatial symbolism and colour grading all make the visual experience highly appealing. Noise definitely picks up some camera elements that define the Netflix original genre. Albeit, It is remarkably slow-paced and almost continues with exposition till the mid-point of the film.
Also Read: The Bad Batch Season 2 Episode 3 Twitter Reactions: Fans Get Excited With Cody and Crosshair’s Entry
There are long stretches of silence in this film and instead relies on music and visual language to take over for the characters. There is not much plot but it does slot the lives of people who see atrocities on a daily. When Julia was taken to the truck filled with the bodies of women, it was something that had become a necessary evil in her life. Instead of focusing on the atrocities committed against the women taken, the film decides to look at the hard decisions caretakers had to make every day.
Viewers would assume that this lull in a narrative structure would be banal, but it sheds light on the normality and stripped nature of how we as a society and law enforcement treat crimes against women. Julia’s run-ins with the police and the legal system show audiences how difficult it is to get justice for yourself and the people around you. This film accurately presents how a self-formed community of people who have a common purpose and goal come together to support each other.
This community have completely taken the prospect of looking for their loved ones in their hands. Gathering resources, maintaining morale and imparting comfort have become a routine in their lives. All of the people in this support network are women, a despicable fact in the face of an oppressive regime. This is further enforced when Abril, Julia’s accompaniment gets taken hostage without any rhyme or reason. What makes this scene so ominous is that the people around them are dead silent and take it in a relieved stride.
Which is what makes the visual symbolism in this film iconic. Julia’s metaphorical states are always represented as her in a field seen through a blur and a consistent ringing noise in her ears. Symbolising a perennial state of being lost and plagued with thoughts that swarm like bees, the film does a great job of inserting them at times of natural interludes.
In the end, we see Julia confront the people who have been complicit in the disappearance of her daughter and once again it lends a hard truth for the audience. That there is often no real reason for people to leave. There are people who would take them for anything and not even value them with a memorable death.
This thought almost frees Julia, because she can let go of Gertrudis now. And instead focus her energy on keeping people safe, especially those who fight these atrocities. While Noise has spent most of its run-time telling audiences to move on, it ends on an optimistic note that instead of holding on, we can always tie an invisible thread between us and the people we have lost, so we can go to them when it is pulled on.
Noise: Final Thoughts
Noise has barely any plot and mostly focuses on character dynamics and the harrowing truths of death and crime. Which means that this may not appeal to most people. While the film does contain some interesting visual and spatial elements, it is a film that requires some preparation and a disclaimer. If viewers are looking at something else to spend their 105 minutes on, they can probably look past this.
Noise is now streaming on Netflix.
Would you watch this film? Let us know in the comments below.
Also Read: The Traitors: All About Peacock’s Mystery Reality Show