Sound of My Voice User Reviews

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This was originally written for a high school newspaper, so it is a little dumbed down.

Sound of My Voice is a science fiction film, but not in the conventional sense. The plot is simple: A teacher named Peter, played by Christopher Denham, and his girlfriend Lorna, played by Nicole Vicus, infiltrate a cult with the intention of exposing the cult leader as a fraud. The cult leader, Maggie, played by Brit Marling, is a young woman who claims to be a time traveler from year 2054. With a tiny budget, the filmmakers had to rely on big ideas to carry the film, rather than flashy effects. In fact, the only thing that could categorize the film as sci-fi is the possibility of time travel, and the aesthetic of the film is more akin to a mumblecore movie than something like Transformers. The action takes place primarily in a featureless basement, and there are only a handful of actors in the entire film. Do not let this minimalism scare you away, however, because Sound of My Voice is one of the most original and thought-provoking sci-fi movie to come along in years.

Or, maybe do let it scare you away if you are the kind of person who likes bombastic movies like Transformers. Sound of My Voice is not for everyone, and patient viewers who like thoughtful movies such as Moon and Primer will get the most out of it. The movie focuses on ideas and acting rather than action, and the plot is fairly uneventful for the most part, although there are some tense moments.

Much of the tension comes from character interactions rather than intense situations, which could have made the movie fall apart if it was not well-acted. Luckily, it is, and Brit Marling in particular gives a standout performance as the eerie, transfixing Maggie. Marling also wrote the movie, and she manages to truly inhabit the role of Maggie, giving the character a sense of depth and unpredictability that is fascinating to watch. Christopher Denham plays the leading man well, and he believably portrays Peter’s slow transformation from a skeptic to a possible believer. Nicole Vicus is perfectly adequate as Peter’s cynical girlfriend. The rest of the small cast give solid performances as well, some more memorable than others.

The structure of the movie is fairly straightforward. The movie begins with a title card that bluntly reads “ONE,” and then the action begins as Peter and Lorna infiltrate Maggie’s mysterious cult. After the first few scenes, the action is broken up by a “TWO,” and the rest of the movie continues with this pattern, up to “NINE.” The “chapters” of the movie do not differ enough for the movie to be considered episodic, but there are a few seemingly unrelated chapters that come together in the end. The end of the film is commendable in raising more questions than it answers, but in a way that feels consistent with the tone of the movie. The ambiguity of the ending is cleverly done and leaves the viewer with a lot to ponder. It also ends with a pretty rad closing song. Marling has stated that she hopes the film will be the first in a trilogy, so it will be interesting to see what direction the next films take.

Brit Marling, also the writer and star of last year’s Another Earth, is certainly a talent to keep an eye on. With Sound of My Voice, she has once again shown that sci-fi does not need explosions, violence, or a big budget to be interesting, and that there are still filmmakers out there who treat the audience’s intelligence with respect. It is difficult to write such things without sounding terribly pretentious, but seriously, Sound of My Voice is really good, and patient movie fans will have a great time exploring its mysteries.