Till Human Voices Wake Us

Starring:Guy Pearce, Helena Bonham Carter, Frank Gallacher, Lindley Joyner, Brooke Harmon, Peter Curtin, Margot Knight, Anthony Martin (VI), Dawn Klingberg, David Ravenswood, Stewart Faichney, Diana Greentree, Ian Swan, Mark Perren Jones, Sally Plant, Andrea Swifte, Fred Barker, Reville Smith, Joanie Thomas, Roger O'Conner
Director: Michael Petroni (II)
Studio: Paramount
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

A ghostly romance from Australia. Guy Pearce is a brooding psychiatrist who must journey back to his family's summer home, to bury his father and settle some lingering childhood traumas. Helena Bonham Carter is the mysterious woman he meets on his journey, twice: once in a fleeting encounter on a train, again as she takes a dive off a trestle into a river. By the way, she's amnesiac--Guy Pearce just can't shake that Memento feel. For viewers susceptible to this kind of thing, director Michael Petroni's lofty literary tone might just work (the breathless pauses are broken by quotations from T.S. Eliot); otherwise, it will look like a skeletal take on a potentially interesting subject. The two fine actors give it a go, and they're always good to look at, but finally one wonders what they saw in this very slim proposition. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Silence is Louder.......2006-10-01

I do so find it amusing to read reviews of this film which claim that "nothing happens" or describe it as being "slow". Definitely this film aims at avoiding linear narrative. I would say it is closer in spirit to the Wong Kar Wai films where mood is as much part of the story as are the silences which are loaded with more internal conflicts and reconsiderations and resolutions than all the dialogue in the world. Brilliant acting by Mr. Pearce and Ms. Bonham Carter.

a non-starry-eyed review.......2006-09-12

This movie is sometimes billed as a love story. It isn't. It's a story of sorrow and loss.

The R rating is a joke. Canada gave it a PG, which is accurate. The one-second nipple shot of Helena hardly merits an R even with up-tight American audiences.

One thing that annoyed me was that the young boy's lips were redder than the young girls (and she was supposed to be wearing lipstick). Also, hers were normal. His looked filled with silicone.

The movie is structured as a mystery, which is a good move for a film in which nothing happens. A mystery keeps it going. However, the screenwriter should have learned the basics of mystery writing (which he probably never did because he was interested in "art" movies). So, Mystery Writing 101: The mystery should deepen throughout with additional clues. There should be many red-herring clues to throw the audience off. None of this was done here. There is one puzzle: Whot hoppened? This puzzle is answered at the end. Many viewers will have guessed it early on anyway (and one helpful amazon reviewer below gives the mystery away).

Bottom line: the movie does not offer the viewer very much. There is Helena, of course, and there are some touching moments (hence, the three stars), but they are few.

Exceeded My Expectations.......2006-03-25

I must admit that my sole interest in seeing this film was one of sheer curiosity, it having been written and produced by my mother's cousin, Michael Petroni. I really didn't know what to expect and purposely didn't read any reviews or opinions beforehand in order to form as unbiased an opinion as possible and had no intention of sharing my opinion with the public, once made. That changed, however, before the final credits rolled.
This film was so beautifully executed in every way, so deeply intense and so profoundly thought provoking that I was spell-bound throughout its entirety. It was everything I look for in a good, quality motion picture. I completely concur with all of the opinions expressed here. While this film may not be for everyone, it is definitely for anyone who has good taste in fine art.

Original and beautiful.......2006-03-19

As other reviewers have said, this film is not for those who like their movies full of action. It moves at a slow pace, which makes it even more beautiful and intriguing. The acting is first rate, especially Helena Bonham-Carter (i'm a fan of hers since "Fight Club"), and Guy Pierce does a quite convincing job as the psychically troubled psychologist whose girlfriend from adolescence drowned while they were bathing in the river. The photography is very well done, and there are lots of scenes of spellbinding beauty. I recommend this film to those looking for something more interesting and thought provoking than the usual Hollywood flick.

A sensitively acted, beautiful film........2005-12-06

I was quietly blown away by this film. However, it is definitely not for everyone. If you like slow, languid pacing, bitter-sweet emotions and gorgeous music and cinematography, then treat yourself to this little known gem. I only gave it 4 stars because the ending was a bit ambiquous, but beautiful just the same. I didn't want it to end. Helena Bonham-Carter and Guy Pearce were perfectly cast and the younger actors did an excellent job which is rare considering the complexity of emotions in their characters. All in all, a fine piece of cinema.

Till Human Voices Wake Us [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import - Australia ]

Average customer rating:

Till Human Voices Wake Us [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import - Australia ]
Director: Michael Petroni
Manufacturer: AV Channel
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

Australia released, PAL/Region 0 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0), WIDESCREEN, SYNOPSIS: Young adolescent Sam Franks (Lindley Joiner) spends his summers away from school with his physician father (Peter Curtin), whose schedule barely allows for quality father-son time. Therefore, Sam idles away most of his time with neighbor Maurie Lewis (Frank Gallacher) and Maurie's handicapped daughter Silvy (Brooke Harman), who also happens to be Sam's best friend. One night following a dance, Sam and Silvy kiss for the first time, and go down to the nearby river. As the two are lazily floating in the river and watching the night sky, Silvy disappears underwater and her body is never found. Several years afterwards, an adult Sam (Guy Pearce) -- who has gone on to become a psychiatry instructor -- journeys back to the same town for the funeral of his recently deceased father. While en route, Sam encounters Ruby (Helena Bonham Carter), a mysterious young woman he is forced to rescue from the same river that Silvy had disappeared in. After bringing Ruby to his father's house to calm her down after the incident, Sam begins to feel a strangely familiar comfortableness with her and the two begin to visit all of Sam's and Silvy's old stomping grounds.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Scene Access, Interactive Menu,

Till Human Voices Wake Us (Despertares Del Pasado) [NTSC/REGION 4 DVD. Import-Latin America]

Average customer rating:

Till Human Voices Wake Us (Despertares Del Pasado) [NTSC/REGION 4 DVD. Import-Latin America]
Director: Michael Petroni
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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