The 'missing child' trope is not new to cinema. However, it's often reserved for testosterone-fueled action movies like Taken or investigative thrillers like Gone Baby Gone and Trade. What sets the Spanish film, Ruido (original title, Ruido), apart is not just the fact that it is based on real-life incidents, but also how it uses the premise to shed light on systemic issues that remain unresolved.
Ruido follows the tribulations of Julia (Julieta Egurrola) as she battles the system, the bureaucracy, the police and her personal trauma, as she searches for her missing daughter. Set in the arid lands of Mexico, the film throws us right in the middle of an ongoing revolution. While we are not aware of the specifics of the issues, they form the background of the plot, which follows Julia with a singular focus. It is through her struggles that the real-life stories of those searching for her loved ones are vindicated.
Director: Steffen Geypens
Writers: Steffen Geypens, Robin Kerremans, Hasse Steenssens
Stars: Sallie Harmsen, Jennifer Heylen, Ward Kerremans
The film takes time to develop, but director Natalia Beristáin makes up for it with a poignant climax that puts a stop to the arduous search. As the story progresses, we get to know more about Julia; her son, who is worried about her; her ex-husband, exhausted by the search; and the journalist Abril (Teresa Ruiz), who accompanies the protagonist. The narrative also highlights the incompetence of the police officers. As the fog clears, we understand how ruthlessly the cartels run the show. It gives us an idea of why the movie often cuts into Julia's mind, when we see her scream at the top of her lungs.
In addition to passing the Bechdel test with flying colors, Noise also emerges as a story of female perseverance. Julia's external problems and internal battles are brilliantly brought to the screen, thanks to a strong technical team and a brilliant Egurrola, who masters the role of the person looking for a needle in
a haystack with just a little magnet called hope. Although the lurid subject matter might discourage viewers from giving Noise a chance, the sensitive way in which it highlights social failings makes it an important film that is effective in emphasizing that silence, in the midst of a crisis, is never an option. solution.
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