White Noise Review: Ignorable Noise or Poignant Preaching?
White Noise is an inconsistent blend of heady themes and biting satire that lacks identity.
White Noise is a film defined by contrasting beliefs, irony, and inconsistencies, for better or worse. Opening on its strongest element, Professor Murray (Don Cheadle) lectures to his class about the car crash in film capturing American traditionalism. Here lies the film's first of many thematic declarations: “look past the violence, and there is a wonderful brimming spirit of innocence and fun.”
If this fails to clue you in on the lack of subtlety White Noise treats its themes with, then perhaps the countless examples of how American culture manufactures and abuses blind faith, creates an incessant demand for control and power within its inhabitants, and enforces a hollow “satisfying life,” will. If White Noise is anything, it is thematically dense. Practically ripping at the seams with commentary on contemporary consumer culture, the dialogue in particular shines with its delightful inaccuracies and ironies weaving a reflection back onto its viewer. Packed with lines that deconstruct the rat race American culture traps its population in, as well as the forced roles they must play and the never ending cycle of monotony, when White Noise chooses more subtle absurdism the film becomes an interesting and thought provoking watch. However, as previously stated, this is a film defined by inconsistency, and for that the dialogue and thematic development rings true. While at times enjoyable purely for how well it integrates themes into the vocal form, other times the words coming out of these characters' mouths appear overly preachy and poetic, lacking the subtlety needed to keep a near two and a half hour film engaging. While White Noise is certainly strongest in its heavy themes and dialogue, the film’s tone interrupts, teetering over the line between satire and reality that creates a dissonance between the bright Spielbergian action scenes and existential dread.
Jack (Adam Driver), a leading scholar in Hitler studies at “College on the Hill”, is a father of four entrenched in the prototypical American dream. Husband to Babette (Greta Gerwig), a yoga instructor with hair every 80s woman would have killed to flaunt, Jack spends his days proving his superiority to others by serving the most important role of a made up field. Teaching his classes as if he is the star of a stage play, Jack is the over confident American desperately trying to prove his own significance in a society that strips him of any. “We all call each other brilliant, it’s what we do.” says Jack’s colleagues, who I must remind you are all esteemed leaders of the least important studies. In this way, the film demonstrates its thematic strengths, as previously mentioned, nearly every aspect intertwines to create a plot stuffed with thematic claims. Having the main character be a self obsessive professor laying claim to his own importance due to the lack of fulfillment he feels from America’s oppressively boring culture is an example of the subtlety White Noise employs to be a successful satire. However, when a toxic airborne event takes place and the threat of death wakes up our characters to the prospect of their lives being a husk, the narrative switches directions in a way that feels like an interruption.
Held together by Driver and Gerwig’s performances and the obnoxiously yet delightful self assured dialogue, the airborne event takes up half the film’s runtime before jarringly returning to everyday life. While purposeful for the story, it is an example of the pacing issues and tonal whiplash White Noise falls victim to. At times the film treats its subjects and topics with effective poignancy and satire, and at others succumbs to the absurdity. Many action scenes just don’t feel right in a Baumbach feature that delves too deeply into Speilgerg like hijinks for its subject matter. These bits of over the top comedic action are contrasted by the overly long thematic discussions, with entire scenes feeling near pointless until an arbitrary reason to push the plot forward is tacked onto the end to allow the scene space in the runtime. This is best exemplified by the thirty minutes of set up the film utilizes for little pay off. With an hour left after the airborne event subsides, the main conflict ends up feeling like a side plot to a more intimate story, a more Baumbach story. And yet, I never felt connected to these characters, likely due to the overly preachy theme machines they inevitably become. I truthfully forgot the family even consisted of a fourth child, that is how little some of these characters feel like characters. While I’m sure one could argue for this writing, as it treats the family in the same way any self obsessed American male/Hitler studies professor would, I cannot help but feel that it is just poor writing as a result of a plot with too much to say. Meaning, I can only best describe this film’s pacing as “airy,” lacking drive and momentum despite the cataclysmic events surrounding the characters. With an imbalance between personal relations and heady thematic development, paired alongside this inconsistent pacing and out of place action, White Noise is lacking identity from one of the most identifiable directors working today.
However, while being overshadowed by a poisonous cloud of, well, something, the glimmers of greatness do not go unnoticed. Again, both the film’s biggest strength and weakness is its subject matter. When executed with subtlety and genius irony, all of the film’s pieces combine to make a truly satisfying and compelling experience. One of these pieces is the production design, which perfectly encapsulates the hyper-American 80s the film takes place in. Another piece is the aforementioned dialogue as well as the character development, which when successful, only further engages the audience with laughs and drama alike. Finally, the lighting in particular is a treat to the eyes, illuminating this grotesquely American world in a way that makes it all feel fake. While appearing negative, because White Noise highlights the falsity American culture perpetuates, the lighting intertwines with the themes in the same way other elements succeed at. Meaning, yes, White Noise can click, exploring its plethora of nuanced themes regarding love, death and American culture with joyful irony. But, oftentimes the film feels like shoving a key into the wrong hole, attempting to unlock a secret too vaguely defined to be realized.
The best looking portion of the film reflects this sentiment. With stunning neo-noir lighting, the film’s inconsistent pacing and tone leaks to the aesthetics, as the best looking portion of the film feels like it belongs in a completely different film. And, ultimately, that is where White Noise fails: definition and clarity. Never does the viewer feel secure in the film’s direction or visuals to its detriment, and at the same time rarely does the film concretely decide whether to explore its themes with satisfying subtlety or heavy handed explicitness. Ambiguity is both the killer and savior of this film, and for too often does White Noise fall to its own overly ambitious hands.