Noise Movie Review: Tale of a resilient mother
The film takes its time to unravel but director Beristain makes up for it with a rousing climax
The 'missing child' trope isn't new to cinema, but mostly, this plot is saved for testosterone-powered action films like Taken or investigative thrillers such as Gone Baby Gone and Trade. What sets apart the Spanish film Noise (Original title, 'Ruido') is not just that it's based on real-life incidents but also how it uses the premise to shed light on many systemic problems that remain unaddressed.
Noise follows the tribulations of Julia (Julieta Egurrola) as she fights the system, the bureaucracy, the police system, and her personal trauma, while she looks for her missing daughter. Set in the barren lands of Mexico, the film throws us right in the middle of the nation's politics and an ongoing revolution. While we are not made privy to these issues, Noise cleverly turns these issues into the backdrop for the plot and focusses only on Julia. Thanks to this, the struggles of Julia remain grounded, and lend authenticity to the real-life group of people who are searching for their loved ones (as shown in the film).
Director: Natalia Beristain
Cast: Julieta Egurrola, Teresa Ruiz, Erick Israel Consuelo
Streaming on: Netflix
The film takes its time to unravel but director Beristain makes up for it with a rousing climax that brings the arduous search to a halt. As the story progresses, we get to know more about Julia, her son who is worried about her, her ex-husband who is exhausted by the search, journalist Abril (Teresa Ruiz) who aids Julia with her search, and finally, incompetent cops. When the fog clears, we understand how the cartels run the show in a ruthless way. It gives us an understanding of why the film often cuts to Julia's mind, as we see her scream her lungs out.
Apart from passing the Bechdel test with flying colours, Noise also turns out to be a story of a woman's perseverance. Julia's external hassles and internal battles are brilliantly brought to screen, thanks to a technically strong team and a brilliant Julieta Egurrola who aces the role of a person who searches for a needle in a haystack with just a small piece of magnet called hope. On the whole, Noise is not for everyone, on account of the darkness of theme and the unique treatment. The film is effective in running home the important point that silence, amid a crisis, isn't the solution.
