Noise

Do not we all have limits? Even those of us who strive to remain calm in the face of adversity may eventually succumb to a breaking point, when the object of one's strife is endlessly attacked like waves against a rocky shore.

Noise exposes a near-inescapable annoyance of modern life, the relentless audible assault populated society forces upon us. The focus is the ubiquitous car alarm, that which brings the film's protagonist David Owen to his edge. A thinking man with designs on a workable solution, he sabotages himself by succumbing to his anger and frustration. David's actions in attempt to silence his neighborhood escalate over time, bringing him to extremes and losing grip on his life and family. His trials, personal and literal, steadily present the facts and support for the notion that car alarms are ineffectual to the point of uselessness, and do nothing to justify their intended purpose. It is something we have all trained ourselves to ignore, but when faced with the simple logic displayed in both exposition and the consequences of David's actions, it is astounding we as a society have put up with it as long as we have.

David is wonderfully portrayed by Tim Robbins. The character is intelligent and determined, short-tempered and self-destructive. Robbins elevates these qualities to a level that practically absolves the criminality of David's blatant vigilante acts. David is not played as crazed lunatic with fanatic designs, but as a man who shows us the paths that are taken when we choose to enforce our ideals at great personal cost.

Eventually David becomes a bit of a city folk hero on a crusade of vandalism and anti car-alarm decals. He finds somewhat of a catharsis in his cause, meets new friends and lovers, and even gets attention from city officials. Car alarms-- and noise itself-- become the enemy to a character we desperately want to succeed. What is most difficult to come to grips with is that success can never really be achieved. We think we live in a world where someone like David can actually bring about change. We desperately want this to be, and are even given a glimpse of how it is possible. While based on screenwriter Henry Bean's real life experiences, there is a realization that this is a fictional tale and it really is up to citizens to put aside our apathy and act. The film's resolution may initially come across as anti-climactic, but on reflection tells us everything we need to know. Armed with David Owen's example, we can ponder our resolve not only against incessant car alarms, but individual peeves as well.