The White Sound (2001)
"Das weiße Rauschen" (original title)

Kati, Jochen and Lukas take a trip magic mushrooms. Lukas is not coming back.

Director:

Hans Weingartner

Writers:

Tobias Amann (screenplay), Matthias Schellenberg (screenplay),

Stars:

Daniel Brühl, Anabelle Lachatte, Patrick Joswig

6 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Daniel Brühl	...	Lukas
Anabelle Lachatte	...	Kati
Patrick Joswig	...	Jochen
Katharina Schüttler	...	Kinodate
Ilse Strambowski	...	Kinokassiererin
Michael Schütz	...	Psychiater
Karl Danguillier	...	Jesus
Michael Lentz	...	Opa
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tobias Amann	...	Hippie
Claudia Bach	...	Mädchen im Zug
Martina Balzig	...	Hippie
Peter Bösenberg	...	Störer vor der Dusche
Heinrich Cuipers
Daniel Dömer	...	Hippie
Dietmar Eisenreich	...	Hippie

Storyline

Driving through the countryside, Kati, Jochen and Lukas take some magic mushrooms. One of them, Lukas, is not coming down from them. Hearing voices like multiple different low turned radio programs, changing and mixing altogether. The diagnosis of the physician: paranoid schizophrenia. Not able to filter and interpret the sensations presented he encounters fear, inner voices, paranoia and is drifting away from reality.

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Plot Keywords:

magic mushroom | paranoid schizophrenia | schizophrenia | brother sister relationship | caravan | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Das weisse Rauschen [de] (German)

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

31 January 2002 (Germany)

Also Known As:

White Noise

Filming Locations:

Cologne, North Rhine - Westphalia, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cameo Film- und Fernsehproduktion, Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln (KHM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

In the scene in which Lukas is walking in the rain (right after flushing his medication down the toilet) there are two shots where part of an umbrella is visible which is protecting the camera lens from the falling rain.

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Connections

References Rebecca (1940)

User Reviews

Gives "A Beautiful Mind" a run for the money

Normally I'm not particularly fond of movies about mental illness and I hate it when an actor automatically gets an Academy Award just because he plays another autistic person or Alzheimer patient. "Das weisse Rauschen" is the exception to the rule. In this film you really get an insight into the mind of a paranoid schizophrenic (played brilliantly by Daniel Brühl - he deserves every award that he got already or will get in the future), because it is so well researched that it appears 100% authentic (the director studied neurology).

And yet the film does not become a clinical case study, but tells an interesting story about a young man, Lukas, who moves to Cologne to share a flat with his older sister Kati (Anabelle Lachatte) and her friend Jochen. At first everything is going fine; they spend their days taking drugs and having fun, but when he abandons his university studies on the first day just because he can't find the enrolment office and when a date with a girl goes a little bit wrong ;-) the audience begins to suspect that there's something wrong with Lukas. After the schizophrenia first breaks out, the movie becomes a very intense experience (similar to the films of Darren Aronofsky or even to "Das Experiment"), because on the sound track you hear the same cacophony of voices that begin to torment Lukas.

Without exception the acting is great. Anabelle Lachatte's character (sexy as hell, but very down-to-earth) may be the worst help a "madman" can get, but it's always clear that she loves her brother and would do anything to help him. Katharina Schüttler in her small role is as good as always. The cinematography has the look and feel of a "Dogma film", but for once it didn't make me dizzy.

All in all, I would say that in comparison to "A Beautiful Mind", "Das weisse Rauschen" is the better film ... much better.