The Movie
The plot of Noise isn't exactly a Point A to Point B trip, with dreams, flashbacks and other diversions along the way, but it's all done in an attempt to portray the confusion that a lack of sleep will cause. At least, that's the excuse I'm handing this film, because otherwise it was just an ill-constructed movie, which would be sad considering the promising idea at the core of the film.

Joyce (model Trish Goff) is recently divorced, and has found what seems to be the perfect apartment in which to start her life again. Unfortunately for her, she lives beneath Charlotte (Ally Sheedy), an eccentric woman who seems intent on making noise 24 hours a day. Joyce has plenty of problems of her own, which are revealed as the film unfolds, and she doesn't need Charlotte causing more trouble for her. Thus begins a conflict that is at the center of this film, and Joyce's new life suffers for it.

Unfortunately, the progression of Joyce's downward spiral isn't handled very smoothly, and Goff's performance, which is marked by a very model-like detachment, doesn't help the audience make a connection, so no matter what happens, it's hard to care. Meanwhile, Sheedy's character is so out there, and without motivation, that it's hard to take her seriously.

There are lots of odd little bits that crop up that build the movie into a mess of stereotypical "woman out of control" moments. A women's support group for divorcees seems to exist only to allow filthy language to be used, while Joyce's life is revealed to be the inspiration for the entire Lifetime network. There's probably an entire semester's worth of "women's studies" classes in her sex life alone. Instead of making a complex character or an interesting back story, it becomes overwrought confusion.

Worse yet, if you muddle through the rest of the film, the ending comes as a predictable disappointment, telegraphed much earlier and played out in an overly long explanatory scene. The only good thing about it is that it signals the end of your time with these characters.

On the positive side, now with his third film, director Tony Spiridakis, writer of If Lucy Fell, seems to have a solid grasp of how to paint a pretty picture, while using precise framing to heighten tension. With the right story and cast, he's got an excellent suspense film in him.

The DVD
It's your standard keepcase, hold the informative insert. The DVD features still full-frame menus with a nice menu design, which provides access to options for playing the movie, selecting scenes, and viewing special features. The scene selection menus include still previews and titles for each scene.

The Quality
The video quality of Noise is quite good, despite the letterboxed widescreen presentation. Fine detail is high, color is vivid, without bleeding, and there's no dirt or damage evident. For a low-budget film, the image rises above.

The audio, a Dolby 2.0 track, gets the job done, with clear dialogue and sound effects, but there's no real activity in the sound, except for volume punctuation. The action on-screen doesn't require DTS-level sound mixing, so this isn't disappointing, but it's definitely not overwhelming.

The Extras
There are just two extras included, but they aren't half bad. Up first is a feature-length audio commentary featuring Spiridakis and writer Lance Doty. The track is your now-traditional indy commentary, in which the participants talk about how hard it was to make the film, how great their stars are and some notes from the set. It's a pretty active rememberance, so it's worth checking out.

The other extra is "Sounds Like Noise," a nine-minute man-on-the-street featurette filmed in New York. Various city residences share their thoughts about and experiences with the noise of the Big Apple. It's an excellent supplement to the concepts in the movie, putting the main conflict into a real context.

The Bottom Line
Noise has some great ideas, but they aren't followed to nearly the necessary length for them to pay off. It may be partially due to Goff's model-level acting ability, but the story seems to start and stop like a puttering Yugo, which doesn't help anyone. The DVD has some interesting bonuses, but not enough to overcome the weaknesses in the film's story. This is really only a recommended rental for hardcore Sheedy fans.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.