OCTOBER 3, 2012 8:16AM
C is for .... (31 Days of Halloween, Oct. 3)
Cults!
I only ever want to fly long transatlantic flights. The movie selection on my flight back in August was chock full of interesting indie films and psychotronic stuff. It was on this flight that I managed to catch The Sound of My Voice, a well done if only slightly frustrating film about cults and cult behavior.Rundown (you know how I hate to do these, so I apologize if I'm not painting the full picture and being terse and disjointed): Hipster couple Peter and Lorna, with documentarian ambitions and some relationship issues, infiltrate cult in hopes of exposing it. Cult leader claims to be from the future and warns of impending eco-disaster. Lots of stuff develops, with a climactic ending leaving room for much doubt.
First, the hipster couple. If you're human you can't help but find them annoying and irritating. Like some kind of nasally coffee shop Batman, we find out that Peter's mother died as a result of a religious edict against medication, thus he is OUT TO AVENGE HIS CHILDHOOD TRAUMA BY TAKING DOWN CULTS! His girlfriend Lorna was an aimless LA party girl. They seem to both view this documentary as a last ditch bid to make anything out of their lives.
This is all fine. We should invest in imperfect characters.
Now, the cult leader. You may expect a sinister Jesus-complexed man complete with unruly hair, x's on his forehead, and very intense, faraway eyes.
Instead, you get a gorgeous model.
Don't fall in love. Maggie is Jim Jones as an Elle cover girl. Peter and Lorna experience a whole host of classic controlling cultic behaviors, and she causes them to have a major relationship rift. She puts her followers through some rather harrowing and disgusting stuff. Yum yum, worms!
SPOILER: my slight frustration is that this film doesn't know what it wants to be. I liked it when it explored the nature of cults. I found I cared less when it sought to become some time travel sci-fi based on a "What if it Was All True!" premise that's reminiscent of Seven Monkeys. I won't say that the ending (which involves the kidnapping of a child that may or may not be Maggie's mother), was bad. It stayed with me. But it also left me a bit unsatisfied.
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Comments
It's a shame you hate doing the rundowns as you do them well: I love what you key in on and the humour you infuse them with.
I once had a relative who was involved in a cult, luckily not of the "drink the Kool Aid" variety (well, not literally anyway).
I once had a relative who was involved in a cult, luckily not of the "drink the Kool Aid" variety (well, not literally anyway).
At least your seat didn't tip over, eh? Glad to see you are still the Dreaded Eagle Eye of Horror...
Brit Marling seems to star in trippy sci-fi flicks. She was in Another Earth which was not about what you think it's about. R
I like your rundowns
too; they're always well done. This film looks like a good one too.
Never heard of it so I really appreciate these heads up - I'd never have
heard of it if it wasn't for you.
Bless you all from the bottom of my dark heart!
VA - I hope your relative got out in one piece?
KC - welcome, welcome back! But - Eagle Eye - no, more like Astigmatism Eye...
Trudge - am curious to see Another Earth. She's an interesting actress with out-there roles
Margaret - Thank you, but I am awful at rundowns and recaps. Usually the stuff I present to you here is pure trash, but, this film is worth the view.
VA - I hope your relative got out in one piece?
KC - welcome, welcome back! But - Eagle Eye - no, more like Astigmatism Eye...
Trudge - am curious to see Another Earth. She's an interesting actress with out-there roles
Margaret - Thank you, but I am awful at rundowns and recaps. Usually the stuff I present to you here is pure trash, but, this film is worth the view.
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