Noise is a Belgian psychological thriller that follows Matthias, an influencer who digs into his father’s past but ends up uncovering dark secrets that extend to his family. The film is now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Matthias and his girlfriend, Liv, move to his childhood home. It was previously owned by his father, Pol, who is now in a retirement home.
Matthias is an influencer with one hundred and ninety-six thousand followers. He and Liv have a baby son named Julius.
Pol is suffering from dementia and one day randomly shows up at their house. Matthias takes him back to the retirement home.
On the way, Pol sees his old factory and starts to make vague statements about some survivors. He urges Matthias to find out more about it.
Matthias begins to investigate the past of the chemical plant. He finds articles online and thinks he and his father can bond over this.
Liv goes around shops in the town to give business cards for her catering home business. One of the shop owners is surprised Matthias decided to return.
Matthias asks Timme, Liv’s brother, to help him investigate the factory. Inside, they find dead animals.
Liv meets the shop owner again, who reveals that she was best friends with Michelle, Pol’s wife, before they drifted apart and she ended up dying.
Matthias starts obsessing over finding out what happened and comes across articles that mention a wastewater disaster caused by the chemical plant that flooded the basements of nearby villages.
This caused alarming risks to public health, causing breathing difficulties and eye irritation. Matthias begins hallucinating that his own basement is on the verge of flooding.
Pol mentions that you need a map to properly navigate the factory, which Matthias finds in the attic.
He discovers more articles that cover how victims of the wastewater filed a lawsuit against the chemical factory.
He comes to the conclusion that there were numerous deaths due to the factory but his father could never say anything and he’s going to help him now.
Liz starts to get concerned about Matthias’ behaviour but he continues visiting his father and trying to piece together the puzzle.
The two have a spat after Matthias asks her to leave him alone and insults her baking career. He even blames her for leaving him with the baby at night.
Liv goes out dancing and talks to her friend, who empathises with Matthias’ frustration with raising a child.
Matthias’ mental health starts rapidly deteriorating and he starts hearing the cries of the baby. Timme and Liv try telling him to stop the investigation but he just asks the former to leave the house.
Noise (2023) ending explained in detail:
What caused Matthias’ desire for his father’s validation?
Matthias continues his investigation but at this point, he’s only hallucinating and not in a normal state at all.
Liv meets the shop owner again and questions why she wasn’t there for Pol and Matthias after Michelle died.
She replies that Liv does not understand what kind of a man Pol is. Nothing has ever been good enough for him, not even his own son.
Growing up, he never made Matthias feels adequate as a son, which resulted in his longing for validation from him. When he finally found something that his father wanted him to do, he went to the extreme.
How did Michelle die?
Matthias tries to explain to Pol that the underground section of the factory extends to their house, but he does not seem interested. He believes the bodies are below the house. Furious, he goes to investigate alone.
Liv meets Pol, who mistakes her for Michelle due to his condition. He starts telling her how he always thought he was a strong woman.
She finds old files that state Michelle was suffering from anxiety, insomnia and paranoia, which were all hereditary. This explains Matthias’ current condition.
Pol continues talking. He says that he couldn’t wait for Matthias to come to this world until he was born.
He regrets not helping Michelle. Not doing something to stop her. In a flashback, she walks into the lake near their house and drowns herself.
Pol runs after her to stop her. He dives into the water. But to this day, he regrets who he saved; he rescued Matthias instead of Liv. This added to his harsh treatment of his son later in life.
Is Matthias dead or alive?
Liv rushes back to her home and finds Julius safe. She can hear Matthias digging in the basement. He is ecstatic to find water.
Liv is horrified to see Matthias drowning. She tries to get him out of the water but he straight up refuses. Pol reaches the house at the same time and sees the haunting image of his son drowning again.
Together, they pull him out. At the same time, a flashback of Michelle drowning and dying is shown. Matthias is saved by his father again.
In the end. Liv, Matthias and Julius are shown to be safe and sound, and Matthias has been taking medication for his condition.
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