Sound of My Voice review

Peter Aitken: Somewhere in the valley, there is a woman living in a basement. She's actually amassing followers. These people believe that she will actually lead them to salvation, or whatever. And yes, she's dangerous - but we have to see this thing through. All the way. 

Director: Ben Batmanglij
(2012)

There’s something so intoxicating about cult films. Not cult in the sense of having a niche, dedicated audience, but a film about semi religious groups and their almost always twisted ideologies. While said subgenre practically always features the usual devoted followers and the charming, smooth talking ringleader, Sound of My Voice puts a subtle twist on these conventions, creating a successful combination of drama and science fiction.

After clearing the initiation, our 2 protagonists Peter (Christopher Denham) and Lorna (Nicole Vicius) follow instructions to become acquainted with a mysterious cult in the San Fernando Valley. Their hope is to expose the cult to the public; an action that Peter thinks will save the followers from a grisly fate. The leader of this unnamed group is Maggie (Brit Marling), an incredibly charismatic woman who tells everyone an incredible story. She makes the seemingly absurd statement of claiming she’s from the future-2054 to be precise- coming back to prepare others for the dangers that will soon face America. As Peter and Lorna become more engrossed with the group, the start to wonder if Maggie’s story is an elaborate lie, or if she genuinely has travelled back in time.

It should be stated that Sound of My Voice isn’t a film that spoon feeds its audience answers. Writer/star Brit Marling and writer/director Ben Batmanglij leave almost every scene or event up to interpretation, happy to leave the mental heavy lifting to their audience. This ambiguity is primarily focused upon Maggie, Batmanglij gives strong evidence to support the fact she is a time traveller, but simultaneously offers enough information to lead us to believe she’s nothing but a snake oil salesman. This open ended nature extends to other aspects of the plot, such as the purpose of the cult, the reason Maggie demands blood samples from new members and her obsession with a young girl named Abigail. Some may instantly label this as the result of a slack screenplay, but Batmanglij does enough to maintain tension and intrigue through to the closing shot.

What helps the film out magnificently is Marling’s performance as Maggie. She gives a performance that bubbles with hidden intensity, a caring character that is sharp to counter any who question her. Could she really be from 2054? She sings the group a song from the future, identified by a member who states it actually originated from the 1990’s. The second the doubt creeps in Maggie is sharp to react, claiming she wouldn’t know about the 90’s considering she was born in 2030. This is the brilliance of Marling’s work, she compliments the script perfectly, and her actions never outright reveal her true intentions. In lesser hands the films effectiveness would have been severely diminished, but this up and coming starlet succeeds almost effortlessly.

Where Sound of My Voice falters is in its 2 leads, both unlikable and convincing. Too little time is invested in these characters, underdeveloped and relatively uninteresting, especially when compared to the tour de force that is Brit Marling. Plot development becomes too snappy during the final third; a longer run time would have done wonders to the overall product. In a year that’s given us a lot of films based on cults and organised religion (The Master, Martha Marcy May Marlene), The sound of My Voice stands shoulder to shoulder with them, as open ended as it is fantastic.

8