In Noise, an influencer decides to investigate his father’s past at a chemical factory but ends up realising the secrets in the family run much deeper. The Belgian psychological thriller film is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
Matthias (Ward Kerremans) moves to his childhood home with his girlfriend Liv (Sallie Harmsen). The two have a baby boy named Julius.
The home previously belonged to Matthias’ father, Pol (Johan Leysen), who is now suffering from dementia and placed in a retirement home.
He shows up at their home one day, due to his condition. On the way back, he gives Matthias vague details about an incident at the old chemical factory he worked in.
This spurs Matthias into investigating the matter. As he finds more clues, his mental health deteriorates as well. He eventually starts looking at it as a way to bond with his father, whose approval he has intrinsically desired since childhood.
Will Matthias uncover the secret of the factory? Or is there much more to his father’s past than he initially believed?
Performances
The three leads of the film all deliver terrific performances. Kerremens captures Matthias’ gradual descent into madness effectively. His performance is nothing short of captivating.
Leysen is excellent as the dementing father with dark secrets and past, and Harmsen plays Liv convincingly.
Positives
Although essentially a slow-burner, Noise never drags. It builds up the narrative gradually. It starts from the introduction of the vain Matthias and turns into much more.
It explores various psychological issues, the central to which is Matthias craving his father’s attention and being desperate for him to be proud of him.
The source of this is divulged later as Pol’s harsh treatment of him growing up comes to light. But even this has a reason that goes way back.
The narrative structure is well-crafted and the writing is top-notch. You’ll want to know what caused these characters’ trauma and what drives them.
Negatives
The investigation of the chemical factory, while not truly central to the plot, could have been portrayed much better and made a more essential part of the narrative.
Verdict
Noise is an absorbing psychological thriller that managed to reveal paramount details at exactly the right times. A must-watch for fans of this genre.
Noise
Director: Steffen Geypens
Date Created: 2023-03-17 17:27
3.5
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