Berberian Sound Studio
Studio: IFC FILMS
Jun 14, 2013
Web Exclusive
Peter Strickland’s Berberian Sound Studio has some great buzz—Toby Jones staring as a sound engineer working for a crazed giallo director during the heyday of 1970s Italian horror, with an element of mystery and intrigue ensuing. Although there are attempts to violently drag the film’s trajectory into any possible arena of interesting narrative—fish-out-of-water black comedy, stream-of-consciousness pastiche, ghost stories, etc.—Berberian Sound Studio never manages to go in one direction long enough to shake its half-baked feel.
The film’s not a total loss, as Jones’ performance is excellent, and its soundtrack marks the triumphant return of Broadcast, which results in perhaps the year’s best score. But as a whole, Berberian Sound Studio stands as more of an esoteric idea than a fully fleshed-out film. The real life filmmakers that haunted ‘70s Italian cinema are endlessly interesting, but when this lush backdrop becomes the primary impetus for a film’s existence, no amount of over-stylization or well-chosen music will elevate its authenticity. Heck, even genuine giallo stylist Dario Argento himself has been trying to do this for years to diminishing returns. (www.ifcfilms.com)
Author rating: 5/10
Average reader rating: 10/10
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