Much as she did with last year's provocative but ultimately stagnant Another Earth, indie superstar Brit Marling has used science fiction as the hook to lure in her audience, although the film's genre scope is much more broad. A breakout star from last year's festival circuit, Marling, who not only stars in the film but also co-wrote, has proven to be equally adept at the art of marketing. Originally designed as an online series, Sound of My Voice comes shrouded in mystery even though we've been privy to a great deal of footage already, all of which adding to the intrigue without giving away the story's biggest reveal.
That is a rarer feat than one might think, and a similar level of carefully orchestrated cult chaos is displayed by Marling and director Zal Batmanglij. Peter and Lorna are two documentary filmmakers, with enough emotional baggage between them to fill a cargo hold, who plan to infiltrate the colony of a mysterious, charismatic woman who is slowly amassing her own personal vanguard of followers. The compelling opening minutes show us the lengths they must go through on a regular basis, driving to a secluded home in the dead of night, handcuffed and forced into the showers like a prison inmate, then draped in white hospital dress. And all for what? The secrecy is understandable, but why all the harsh instructions? And what's with the silly double-dutch secret handshake?
The reason, simply enough, is that Maggie(Marling) wants it so. A blond, beautiful, exquisite fairy of a woman, Maggie immediately captivates when she enters the room, even as she lugs an oxygen tank behind her. Her hypnotic words preach salvation from a doomed future, mixed with a healthy amount of psycho-babble that has completely enraptured her most loyal followers. The questions swirl around Maggie, even as she relives her hard luck tale to the newest recruits. How can she claim to know so much about the oncoming disaster? Easy. It's because she's traveled back in time from the year 2054, of course.
The weak willed and cynical Peter, along with ex-party gal Lorna have every intention of debunking Maggie as a charlatan of the highest order, but even they are thrown for a loop by her claim. Whether Maggie is genuine or just pulling everyone's chain is the central, haunting question, and it's one that will suck you in thanks to Marling and Batmanglij's use of mood and deliberate pacing. While the premise is ridiculous on the surface, with the script even tapping into that on occasion(like in the apple vomiting scene), the characters are so well drawn and the tension so thick you'll understand exactly how people fall into the cult lifestyle. It's not nearly as dark as Martha Marcy May Marlene, but giving us another bleak story about the cult lifestyle isn't what's called for. Part of the genius is in not presenting as crazy every person who falls under the sway of a convincing cult leader. Most are just regular people with broken pasts, desperately looking for someone to take control of their lives. As Peter and Lorna begin to sink deeper, and the line between reality and Maggie's gospel begin to blur, their mismatched personalities clash and conflicts arise. Soon, it becomes impossible to discern everyone's true loyalties.
Many questions remain unanswered up to the film's conclusion, and that's one of the big drawbacks of a film that relies so heavily on the twist ending. If it falls flat, every gripping moment that came before could be all for nothing. That's almost what happens here, as ambiguity is the wrong note to go out on for a film that builds up such incredible narrative momentum. Even so, Marling and Batmanglij achieve a lot with zero bells and whistles, and that simplicity is part of the movie's charm. Sound of Your Voice isn't perfect, but it's a thoughtful, suspenseful thriller good enough to swear an oath of loyalty to.
