Noise (2004)

Director:

Tony Spiridakis

Writer:

Lance Doty (writer)

Genre:

Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

What would you do for a good night's sleep?

Plot:

A riveting psychological drama about a woman (Trish Goff) trying to piece her life back together whose problems escalate when she confronts her mysterious upstairs neighbor (Ally Sheedy).

Awards:

6 wins

Cast

Julia Barnett	...	Deaf Girl
Ted Bardy	...	Phil
Sarah Bloom	...	Jogger
Michelle Carano	...	Naomi
Jennifer Carter	...	New Tenant
Douglas Crosby	...	Veteran Cop
Dov Davidoff	...	Larry
Jeridette Donaldson	...	Margaret's Assistant
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Hank
Adam Ferrara	...	Young Detective
Sam Fontana	...	Chief Copy Editor
Craig Gass	...	Deaf Man
Mark Giordano	...	Young Cop
Trish Goff	...	Joyce Chandler
Nicole Hansen	...	Sheila (as Nikki Hansen)

Also Known As:

The Dark Descends (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sexual content and some violence.

Runtime:

USA:84 min (Santa Barbara Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Australia:MA (2008)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Rockville Pictures Inc.

Goofs:

Continuity: The first night in the apartment scene her cigarette has a long ash then a short ash then the same long ash as before.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Older Detective: Look at her go, like all the demons of hell are after her.

Noise Whimpers Out

For originality this film rates high. Lance Doty has crafted a screenplay with loads of potential, and instant appeal to anyone who has had their sleep ruined by rotten neighbors. This premise is taken to psychotic lengths, and could have been much, much better. Unfortunately, director Tony Spiridakis seems to have slept through the whole thing. The pacing and camera-work are flat and colorless. He seems to have cast his actors and then abandoned them to their own devices. The only one up to the task was Ally Sheedy, and if not for her, this film would have fallen flat on it's face. Trish Goff, a model in her first film, is supposed to show us the mental disintegration of a young woman -- by degrees -- her fragile mind under assault from her own failures and alcoholism, with her slow collapse considerably hastened by the psychic torture provided by her upstairs neighbor. But Ms. Goff delivers a performance that would barely get her cast in a high school play. She does not inhabit her character; she has no sense of her psychology, no sense of bringing her incrementally to her breakdown. Ms. Goff brings very little to her role at all except what is already built into the script. As she is the pivotal character, and appears in every scene, the whole business bogs down in her flailing search for an appropriate emotion. If a real actress had been cast in this part, the film might have lived up to its promise. As it is, it will quickly be forgotten.