Berberian Sound Studio

Description

Peter Strickland | UK 2012 | 91mins. | Print Source: IFC

West Coast Premiere!

Toby Jones (The Girl) plays Gilderoy, a socially reserved British sound mixer invited to work on a film in Italy. Unbeknownst to him, his new assignment turns out to be a horror film and Gilderoy is unexpectedly and unwillingly thrown into a world of sadistic violence, gore and cruelty. His tolerance of this grotesque universe is tested, as he adds sound effects to every stabbing and decapitation, and a great many other violent actions in need of aural punctuation. As he continues to work on the film, Gilderoy becomes increasingly alienated from reality. His mental state slowly deteriorates, as director Peter Strickland expertly crafts a psychological thriller relying on the power of suggestion rather than graphic violence. At once homage and send-up of the classic giallo films of the 70s Berberian Sound Studio is tense, unsettling and darkly funny. Like Brian De Palma’s Blow Out, this is a master-class on the relationship between sound and image. (VIFF)