“That Alien, Sound” Captures the Mysteries of Life
What is a body if not merely a collection of organs? Is it the physical body that creates autonomy or the metaphysical soul? These questions find themselves at the center of Brando Topp’s That Alien, Sound. It’s a weighty thought experiment that Topp wraps in a sweet indie flick about life as seen through the eyes of a literal alien. That Alien, Sound is a fish-out-of-water story told in a way we haven’t seen before, and it opens the possibility of a new take on dread, existentialism, and existence.
That Alien, Sound
Good music can be transportive. In the case of the main character in this film, a rock song is transportive in an extremely literal sense. One minute Micah (Mia Danelle) is head-banging to a song on the radio in a record store, and the next her consciousness has been teleported elsewhere. In Micah’s body now is an alien who has never experienced human senses and sensations. The alien, named Sound, has been a soundwave somewhere in the nothingness and has spent its existence listening to music on the radio. Many people in Micah’s life aren’t convinced that an alien has taken over her body. Micah’s boyfriend, Shannon, is the loudest nonbeliever, but Sound never waivers. In a journey to find a way for Micah to come home, Sound has an opportunity to experience what it’s like to be human.
That Alien, Sound
For the first half of the film, That Alien, Sound is a charming body-swap movie where one character, Sound, is overwhelmed and thrilled by the myriad of things she’s heard about, but never experienced herself. She hears live music played by a band she ends up hating, but that doesn’t take away from the buzz of seeing people express their joy through music. Topp, though, has another trick up his sleeve as the film continues. This isn’t just a stranger-in-a-strange-land movie, it’s a film haunted by a looming existential dread that plagues young people today. How do you get excited for things in your life when you can feel the world actively crumbling around you? Can and should we be excited for brunch with our friends when the Earth is growing warmer by the minute?
As much fun as the first half of the film is, the second half is where That Alien, Sound proves that Topp is in command. It would be very easy for the script to have stayed where things were light and comedic, but by adding themes of identity, dread, mental health, and more, Topp has created a film that captures the fears of a generation without allowing hope to be crushed by the weight of it all. In the same breath that That Alien, Sound wonders where we go from here and how we make a plan for the future, it also asks, “Have you had a burrito yet?” As though life isn’t complete without tasting the magnificence that is a burrito. And the film is right. Humans must consider the world we live in to actively make it better — and also make sure we have a burrito.
One of the aspects of her human body that most entrances Sound is her ability to speak. In the beginning, she keeps repeating, “I have a voice.” It’s a statement of fact and an effort to claim her own identity. Even though everyone around her wants Micah to return home, Sound has her own voice, her own likes, dislikes, dreams, desires, frustrations. That Alien, Sound, like the cosmos Sound hails from, is swirling with thematic notes that create a galaxy of their own.
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