Noise Review Netflix (2023) Film: A Mystery That Resurfaces From The Past
Cast: Ward Kerremans, Johan Leysen, Sallie Harmsen, Jesse Mensah
Director: Steffen Geypens
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3/5 (three stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Starting March 17, Noise will be available on Netflix. It is a thriller film with dramatic tones, produced by the streaming platform together with a Belgian production company. Steffen Geypens I directed the story written by himself, Robin Kerremans and Hasse Steensses. The film was classified as not suitable for minors under 16 for the topics covered, in particular for the representation of suicide. The cast includes Ward Kerremans, Sallie Harmsen, Johan Leysen and Jesse Mensah. The film – which lasts about an hour and a half – moves between the present and flashbacks to create a mystery and thriller plot.
Noise is a deeply dramatic psychological thriller whose narrative revolves around a mystery linked to a now-disused factory and the mental health of its protagonist. Directed by Steffen Geypens and of Belgian-Dutch production, the film could have counted on a rather intriguing story with multiple narrative cues. Too bad that, as we will see in our review of Noise, the numerous holes in the narrative, the undeveloped subplots and some important elements that are however left to the intuition of the viewer give life to a fragmented film, which leaves us with more questions what answers.
Noise Review 2023: The Story Plot
Matthias (Ward Kerremans) is a young influencer with a large following who decides to move – together with his wife Liv (Sallie Harmsen) and their newborn son – into the old family home where, in the past, he lived alone with his father Pol (Johan Leysen). We immediately discover that his mother Michelle had committed suicide in the pond of the mansion when Matias was only a newborn. Life in the new house, however, is not easy: Liv’s catering business struggles to take off due to the distrust of the country and Matthias immediately appears very frustrated, because of a son that the man does not seem to know how to manage and from the presence of his father, now suffering from dementia, who lives in a nearby nursing home. Only a few days after their move, however, a mystery from the past attracts Matthias’ attention: an accident that occurred many years earlier in what the factory was once run by his father and whose serious consequences were covered up. Determined to bring the truth to light, the man launches into an obsessive investigation that will put his relationship with his wife and his mental health at risk.
Noise is mainly set in an isolated estate in the countryside, where the protagonist spent his childhood. The house is surrounded by woods and is located near a creepy lake, quite far from other houses. Nearby is also the factory of Matias’s elderly father, which in the past has been the scene of dangerous accidents and a source of shame. These locations help create the perfect atmosphere for a suspenseful thriller. Even the interior of the house – albeit modern, so much so that the protagonist is an influencer – immediately brings us back to the climate of the great horror and thriller films of the 80s. The lake with its dark reflections is not limited to being a backdrop to the story, but becomes the protagonist of a fundamental junction, as we sense from the opening scene.
The initial sequences seem to lay the foundations for an intriguing and complete plot, even if not particularly original. A family with a newborn baby moves to the countryside to seek some calm: in Matias’s childhood home they are fascinated – and then obsessed – by nocturnal Noises and slowly become aware of potentially dangerous secrets. After the first twenty minutes, the film begins to develop in a confused way, sketching various subplots and bringing only a few to closure. The mysteries about the factory of Matias’ father and the increasingly incomprehensible actions of the protagonist add up to the distressing cry of the child. In general, a very fragmented plot is formed with various valid points, perhaps too many to be developed completely.
Some flashbacks are mixed with a somewhat complex present vein. Although they don’t always help to create clarity from a narrative point of view, they are certainly suggestive scenes. The locations are the same as in the present, interesting parallels are created. In both timelines, a family composed of two parents and a newborn is faced with significant emotional and psychological dramas: Matias – first a child and then a young father – forms the nexus of this parallelism, which gradually becomes deeper and more unsettling. The flashbacks are the most original note of the film, otherwise quite classic, bordering on the already seen.
Noise Review 2023 And Analysis
Noise presents various types of mysteries, some legal – for example the father’s factory problems, others psychological and personal – such as the story of Matias’ mother. Precisely the latter help to create an atmosphere full of suspense and madness, especially in the more introspective parts, mostly set at night and accompanied by worrying Noises. Ward Kerremans, who plays Matias, embodies the moments of madness convincingly. Part of the past events that disturb the protagonists so much is explained at the end, while leaving several questions open. Spectators are called upon to give their interpretation of the film perhaps excessively, considering that in a successful thriller, the various clues sown should find meaning in the conclusion.
Although the narrative of Noise revolves around the resolution of the mystery, the central theme of the film is the obsession that Matthias develops around the case, which leads him to a slow but inexorable decline toward madness. Since the discovery of the accident that took place in the former factory, the man transforms the discovery of the truth into his only life goal, giving up his energies and gradually estranging himself from the family context. The reasons for this obsession that develops so suddenly are many and we can easily guess them in the course of the narration: the desire for redemption towards a father who has always considered him a failure, the desire to prove his worth to his wife and the pressure from followers who push him to go further and further with the investigation. Contributing to his descent into madness are the Noises (hence the title of the film) that haunt him relentlessly: it is the incessant crying of the child – which makes Matthias spend entire sleepless nights – and the continuous notifications from social networks.
The serious problem of the film directed by Steffen Geypens certainly lies in its script. In fact, after a rather clear and linear introduction, the film begins to derail, proceeding in a confused manner, sketching out subplots that are then not developed and introducing elements that are useless to the narrative development. Not only that: various details which, however, would be functional to the resolution of the mystery, are simply left to the deduction of the spectators, as well as various backgrounds on the life of his father Pol and Matthias’ family in general, are revealed without then having an effective utility. Plot holes, undeveloped subplots, and some fundamental elements that are not explained enough, therefore, contribute to giving life to a fragmented film.
The so sudden (and unjustified) obsession by which the protagonist is overwhelmed appears absolutely unrealistic and Ward Kerremans’ interpretation – good but not excellent – is certainly not enough to make everything more credible. Similarly, the chemistry between Matthias and Liv appears non-existent, mainly due to the character of her wife, who is not at all comforting towards her husband, and her, who is so worried about his mental health that she does absolutely nothing. Again, it is not Sallie Harmsen’s work that is scarce but the screenplay, most of the time without a precise direction. The only one who perhaps manages to emerge despite such a fragmented narrative is the character of Julius, – played by Johan Leysen – who, however, is quickly put aside after half the film.
Noise Review: The Last Words
A psychological thriller that provides some interesting insights; pity that the numerous holes within the narrative, the undeveloped subplots and some important elements that are however left to the intuition of the viewer, give life to a fragmented film, which leaves you with more questions than answers. Noise is an unconvincing mix of thriller and horror in the service of a fragile and unoriginal script, in which the thrill and tension are not received. In the technical mediocrity that drags along the entire package, including direction and photography, a handhold is found in the audio component which helps to give a feeling of anguish to otherwise flat and emotionally intangible scenes. Another Achilles heel of Noise is represented by the acting performances, with Ward Kerremans bewildered and never partially in the lead role.
