The Sound of the Wind (2020)
With a huge increase in time to watch new media and a huge decrease in new large releases, now marks the perfect time to seek out and watch some smaller films heading for a VOD release with one deserving your time being The Sound of the Wind. Serving as the feature directorial debut for Jared Douglas, The Sound of the Wind follows a paranoid young man named Lucio (Christian Gnecco Quintero) who believes that there is a group of individuals out to get him causing him to flee his old life including his young daughter. He has to decide what he is willing to risk and damage as he is pulled apart from his old life due to fear and threats.
The immediate feeling to come from The Sound of the Wind is how inspired and motivated the film is. With a relatively young cast and crew who are still early in their careers, there is an honest feeling of boldness and care to make something memorable and unique. At no point does it feel like the film in any regard is going through the motions. One perfect example of this is the cinematography by Neeraj Jain, even when some of the shots take on familiar ideas and concepts such as the camera taking on the appearance of someone stalking Lucio, Jain always finds some interesting angle to the shot whether it is a technical piece like the shot composition or more practical ideas such as shooting through bottles at a convenience store. The amount of craft and care going into the film really pays off and is really exciting to see considering so many films anymore have become lazy and uninspired.
Another really impressive piece of the film is the performance by Christian Gnecco Quintero. Christian has a really difficult role throughout the film, for the majority of the film, he serves as the driving force of the tension and suspense having to sell the threats and anxiety with very little to play off of. This is a big task for anyone much less someone also making their feature debut as an actor but Christian absolutely pulls it off. Again, it is clear on camera that Christian cares greatly about the performance he is giving being able to truly get into the mindset of Lucio and bring this strange character to life with an unnerving yet equally sympathetic performance. This care and dedication also is clear when you look at the off-camera work Christian put into his role considering he lost 30 pounds for the performance.
Another really impressive piece of the film is the performance by Christian Gnecco Quintero. Christian has a really difficult role throughout the film, for the majority of the film, he serves as the driving force of the tension and suspense having to sell the threats and anxiety with very little to play off of. This is a big task for anyone much less someone also making their feature debut as an actor but Christian absolutely pulls it off. Again, it is clear on camera that Christian cares greatly about the performance he is giving being able to truly get into the mindset of Lucio and bring this strange character to life with an unnerving yet equally sympathetic performance. This care and dedication also is clear when you look at the off-camera work Christian put into his role considering he lost 30 pounds for the performance.
These elements come together to create a not just technically impressive film but one with legitimate suspense. Psychological horror is one of the most interesting genres in the film industry allowing deep character studies and explorations of the twisted without the need for jump scares or cheap thrills. Especially at the start when the film throws the audience into the deep end, The Sound of the Wind is one of the most engaging and thrilling experiences of the year as it leaves the audience to untangle its web of paranoia and danger. For the majority of the film, The Sound of the Wind doesn't reveal how much of the threat is legitimate or fabricated both becoming a big strength of the film and sadly its only real weakness. Where it is engaging to try and figure out what really is happening, having to move the plot along with very little outside forces does become a bit tedious and forced at times.
Still, The Sound of the Wind really did impress for the most part. Everyone involved in this film clearly cared about what they were making and that level of motivation did deliver. It is a smart concept that does hold the audience's attention despite a bit of a forced middle section, and constantly features impressive acting and technical elements. The Sound of the Wind releases May 1st on VOD and it is an easy recommendation especially for audience members who enjoy tense psychological thrillers and is looking for a good one to watch.
Still, The Sound of the Wind really did impress for the most part. Everyone involved in this film clearly cared about what they were making and that level of motivation did deliver. It is a smart concept that does hold the audience's attention despite a bit of a forced middle section, and constantly features impressive acting and technical elements. The Sound of the Wind releases May 1st on VOD and it is an easy recommendation especially for audience members who enjoy tense psychological thrillers and is looking for a good one to watch.