New Film 'The Sound of Silence' Quietly Explores Noisy Life

 

With the right marketing¹, you can get people to buy almost anything. This is especially true in Manhattan, where many wealthy New Yorkers live.

In the new film The Sound of Silence, lead characters Peter and Ellen meet because she has paid him to “tune²” her apartment.

No, Ellen does not live inside a musical instrument. Peter, played by actor Peter Sarsgaard, is a "home tuner." His especially strong sense of hearing enables him to hear small things that most others cannot. They can include an ice maker³, toaster or other simple machinery⁴.

Rashida Jones plays Ellen. She is tense and sleepless⁵. Some friends suggest she turn to Peter for help. The skill he brings to his work had been reported about in The New Yorker, a respected magazine.

Peter travels around New York City with his tuning⁶ devices and his headset. He tests wind movements in parks and makes house calls.

At Ellen's place, he lies on her bed to try to recreate her usual mornings. Then, he explains the problem: her toaster. He advises her to get a new one.

The Sound of Silence is based on a short film from the same writer and director, Michael Tyburski.

Peter makes the lives of his customers better. He helps them sleep better or improves their love relationships. He is more centered on helping⁷ others than seeking riches. But, he longs for recognition in the academic world. He wants his scientific findings to gain wide acceptance.

So, when a sharp businessman offers him the chance to join forces and make some real money, he is not interested. He does not want to sink that low.

At the same time, Ellen is showing more interest in Peter, finding his intensity⁸ appealing. For a while, we do too, especially when he explains that Bach and Beethoven, no less, used neurological methods to affect their listeners.

But even Ellen questions Peter’s expertise⁹. She finds it hard to accept his claims that her home is producing the musical note of C Minor¹⁰. He also tells her that unseen forces are governing her choices.

However, he stops trusting in his expertise as his effort to help her fails. And Ellen chooses to keep believing that she has some control over her life.

The Sound of Silence is humor and seriousness combined. There is a painful scene in which Peter meets an academic he greatly respects. She is a leading specialist in the field of sound. When he asks her if she has seen the work he sent her, her answer is unkind, but honest.

Critics have been mixed on the success of The Sound of Silence. The Los Angeles Times calls the movie, “fascinating, original and, yes, deeply resonant¹¹.”

The Hollywood trade magazine Variety, however, says the film feels “undernourished” in its new, long-version form. It calls The Sound of Silence “a deeply silly movie that takes itself incredibly seriously…”

The movie has been presented at several film festivals since the start of the year. It opened to the general public in limited release on Friday.

I’m Caty Weaver¹².

Words in This Story

character - n. a person who appears in a story, book, play, movie, or television show?

tune - v. to adjust (usually a musical instrument) so that it makes the correct sound when played?

academic - adj. of or relating to schools and education?

neurological - adj. of or relating to the scientific study of the nervous system and the diseases that affect it?

scene - n. a part of a play, movie, story, etc., in which a particular action or activity occurs?

fascinating - adj. very interesting or appealing?

original - adj. not like others : new, different, and appealing?

undernourished - adj. not getting enough food or not getting enough healthy food for good health and growth

resonant - adj. strongly affecting someone especially with a particular quality?

festival - n. an organized series of performances

1 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

2 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

3 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

4 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

5 sleepless   

adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的

参考例句：

• The situation gave her many sleepless nights.这种情况害她一连好多天睡不好觉。
• One evening I heard a tale that rendered me sleepless for nights.一天晚上，我听说了一个传闻，把我搞得一连几夜都不能入睡。

6 tuning   

n.调谐，调整，调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• They are tuning up a plane on the flight line. 他们正在机场的飞机跑道上调试一架飞机。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The orchestra are tuning up. 管弦乐队在定弦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

9 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

10 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

11 resonant   

adj.(声音)洪亮的，共鸣的

参考例句：

• She has a resonant voice.她的嗓子真亮。
• He responded with a resonant laugh.他报以洪亮的笑声。

12 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。