Sound of Noise

Colour, 35 mm
France, Sweden, Denmark, 2010, 102 min
Section: Open Eyes

Synopsis

Police officer Amadeus has always felt a bit left out since, unlike his entire family, he not only lacks musical talent, but he also can’t stand music of any kind. And now he finds himself on the trail of a group of musicians who decide to take over the city with their sonic attacks on public spaces. Will he succeed in halting a composition for six doctors, patient and operating table, or will he himself become a victim of a war waged with musical missiles? In a work which shows remarkable creativity, the filmmakers are keen to betray their huge fascination with the urban environment and with the sounds that surround us. By pitting the main characters and their differing attitudes against one other, the film takes a stand against silence, the tedium of the mainstream, and musical snobbery, but it also demonstrates that modern music can be entertaining. At the same time, however, it continues to focus on its heroes and their desire for total quiet or, on the contrary, on their need to be noisily prised out of their everyday routine. Sound of Noise proves that music really can change people’s lives.

About the director

Ola Simonsson and Johannes Stjärne Nilsson (both b. 1969, Lund, Sweden) have known each other since childhood. Nilsson studied art in Stockholm and earns a living as a graphic artist, cartoonist and director. Simonsson graduated from Malmö Conservatoire and works as a musician and singing teacher. Their surrealistic short Nowhere Man (Bakom mahognybordet, 1996) was selected for Critics’ Week at Cannes. Cannes also screened their short film Music for One Apartment and Six Drummers (2001), which won many awards all over the world and is a hit on Internet video servers to this day. Way of the Flounder (Spättans väg, 2005) was shown at Karlovy Vary in the Forum of Independents section. The Cannes festival also screened Woman and Gramophone (Kvinna vid grammofon, 2006), which was seen by KVIFF audiences as well. The music comedy Sound of Noise is their feature film debut.