'White Noise' Review: Noah Baumbach's Netflix adaptation is engrossing and perfectly absurd
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Noah Baumbach is one of the most influential filmmakers of this generation and a darling of the indie movie scene. The director and screenwriter are known for making intellectual comedies and have been often compared to writer-directors such as Whit Stillman and others. However, the filmmaker changed his direction with the 2019 movie ‘Marriage Story’ and showed that he is capable of making movies of any genre. So, it doesn’t come as a shock that there was a lot of excitement for his latest movie ‘White Noise’, which sees him coming back to his roots of making a comedy movie that manages to tell viewers about a serious issue. However, viewers were surprised that the filmmaker decided to adapt a novel like ‘White Noise’ which is considered to be an absurdist, comedy drama.
Set in 1984, ‘White Noise’ primarily focuses on the professor of ‘Hitler Studies’ named Murray Siskind (Don Cheadle) at the College-on-the-Hill. However, he doesn’t know any German and is taking lessons to learn the language to prepare for a speech he is about to give at a conference. On the other hand, the comfortable life of Professor Jack Gladney (Adam Driver) and his family turns upside down when a chemical leak causes ‘The Airborne Toxic Event’ over the region that forces the Gladney family to evacuate. That’s when the fun and the absurdities begin. It’s one of those movies that cannot be put into just one genre and a lot of viewers, like me, will look at it as an anthology because of how the movies have been divided into several different chapters.
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Of course, the cast and characters remain the same, but the story changes a lot frequently. It’s not that every day we see a movie tackle so many storylines in such an absurd way and change gears so fast. For 10 minutes, the film will talk about relationships and other things and suddenly, the movie will change its gear and talk about social issues. People should applaud Baumbach for handling a project like that with so much ease. This just shows how much he has evolved as a filmmaker over the years.
As a viewer, I loved how the movie blends all the genres in the most efficient way possible, but the most amazing parts of the film came when it forays into horror. The scenes are well-shot and look straight out of an extraordinary horror series in the best way possible. But it all changes when the film takes a new direction while tackling a different storyline. One of the best scenes in the movie takes place when Jack and Siskind give a joint lecture about Elvis Presley and Adolf Hitler. You’ll be mesmerized by the acting in that scene and shows viewers how ridiculous Driver’s character really is.
As far as acting is concerned, Adam Driver is absolutely fantastic. The actor is known for several different roles in his movies, but this is the most interesting character he has played in his career. Every time he appears on the screen, something magical happens. Meanwhile, Greta Gerwig, who plays Babette Gladney, has once again shown that she is not just an incredible filmmaker, but also an amazing actor. Another key actor who completely blew our minds is Don Cheadle. Thanks to Baumbach, the actor gets a chance to show his range as an actor.
All the other cast members such as Raffey Cassidy, Andre Benjamin, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Lars Eidinger have done a phenomenal job as well.
Some people might find the movie to be a little too much because of so many themes and storylines. To be honest, it is a valid concern and there are some moments where the film loses its steam, but for the most part of it, ‘White Noise’ remains entertaining. The world shown in the film is as crazy as it is in real life and viewers will be able to relate to many themes because of how they have actually lived during a pandemic.
‘White Noise’ is another winner for Baumbach and people should definitely watch it.
‘White Noise’ will be available for streaming exclusively on Netflix on December 30.