[Fantasia 2025] FILM REVIEW: Noise

Noise - Fantasia North American Premiere Review

Director: Kim Soo-jin

Starring: Lee Sun-bin, Han Soo-a, Kim Min-Seok, Ryu Kyung-soo, Jeon Ik-ryeong

Written by: Lee Je-hui

Produced by: Suh Young-joo

Cinematography by: Jun Hong-kyu

Original Score by: Heo Jun-Hyeok

Synopsis:

After her sister suddenly disappears, Joo-young begins to realise it may have something to do with creepy sounds she has been hearing in her apartment.

Thoughts:

When it comes to horror, South Korea just does it differently. Kim Soo-jin's directorial debut is a claustrophobic triumph, full of nerve wrecking, nail biting tension that will make you want to cover your ears and keep the noise down, just in case.

Joo-young and Ju-hee are two sisters who have recently moved into their new apartment. Joo-young has a hearing impediment that requires the use of a hearing aid. She's not really at home much either because she works in a factory and sleeps on the premises in a work dormitory, which leaves Ju-hee alone in the apartment. Their lives get turned upside down when Ju-hee suddenly disappears and Joo-young is forced to try to investigate her disappearance on her own after the lackadaisical response from the police.

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With the stress of a missing sister weighing her down, Joo-young also has to deal with an aggressive neighbour who threatens to rip her mouth off if she doesn't keep the noise down and a group of other neighbours, who show zero empathy towards her cause. Along the way she does find a friend in Ju-hee's boyfriend, whom she knew nothing about, who helps her uncover the clues to the mysterious disappearance.

One of the central themes in 'Noise' is the negativity surrounding over-population, something that isn't entirely alien to Korean cinema in general. The main location here is an enormous apartment block, surrounded by a labyrinth of similar sized apartment blocks, that is in dire need of redevelopment. And stemming from the over-population problems naturally comes the instinctive defensive emotions that human beings zone in on. The virtues of patience, apathy and consideration become void. There's a need to look out for yourself. Kim Soo-Jin taps into that anxiety and fear and creates a pseudo-supernatural tale that hits pretty hard at times.

Apartment buildings always work well as a horror film setting because they are so robotic and mundane and vast at times and that lends themselves to the idea of seclusion and paranoia, which in turn can open up alot of doorways for horror to enter. Kim Soo-jin does a fantastic job at creating a character out of the apartment block, showing repetitive shots of dimly lit doors, dirty hallways and eventually one of the film's prime locations, the decrepit basement which acts as an illegal dumping ground.

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Yes there are jump scares, one in particular make me spit out my tea, but along with the atmospheric cinematography, the creepy sound design really brings a sense of unease to the entire picture. With a title like 'Noise', sound is obviously an incredibly important aspect of the film, it's a huge part of the plot and some of the noises created in the film sound very alien. I'd imagine it would be even creepier watching with headphones on.

The first two acts are quite well written, setting up the location as a place of immense importance and Lee Sun-bin does a great job at conveying her character's distress, confusion and peril. However the last act lets itself down a bit. It turns a bit generic and the finale is very ambiguous. Almost like the writer wasn't quite sure how exactly to end the film. Despite the less than satisfying ending, 'Noise' remains an original and creepy entry into the echelons of Korean horror but doesn't come close to knocking the mainstays off their perch.

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½

-Gavin Logan

'Noise' received its North American Premiere at Fantasia '25 on July 17th