The documentary by Thomas Riedelsheimer, Touch the Sound, is one of the most impressive documentaries I have seen in my life. It shows me what a true musical piece looks and sounds like. Before watching this film, I was kind of obsessed with the story arc within the documentary, believing that it is the most effective way to keep the audience interested. However, this documentary showed me that subject matter itself, even without a strong story line, can fill up the running time of nearly two hours. I was focused the whole time, from the beginning to the end of the film.
The subject matter, the perception of sound, is expressed through beautiful cinematography and profound symbolism. Some of the panning shots were one of the most beautiful things I saw in any documentary, such as the pan in the New York Metropolis crosswalks with people wearing headphone. Also about the cinematography, the sense of space in Evelyn Glennie’s recording place, which is made in an abandoned factory, is really well expressed also using the pan. The panning gives the documentary an impression that the film is something more than a documentary, maybe a meditation or a music video. Maybe this is because pans of reality shots rarely exist as it is hard to film with all those panning equipments.
Also, the symbolism in the film was amazing. I really liked the moment near the ending, when Evelyn and the German Guitarist throws the roll of paper into the air. The paper, which records the sound frequency, is a symbol of ‘physical sound,’ which most people understands. By throwing the paper roll into the air, Evelyn and the characters create another sound, which is clearly more profound and perceivable even to a deaf person.
Finally, about the music, it is needless to mention. The music after the moment when Evelyn’s brother’s farm burns down, is very touching and full of soul. It was a good film to watch and I was really concentrated throughout the long TRT.
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