"Telepathy sci-fi film that has too many noise and statics."
Science runs amok once again in Listening, the debut feature of director-screenwriter Khalil Sullins. With striking visual style and a promising touch, Sullins explores the
potential powers and grave ramifications of telepathy.
Best friends David (Thomas Stroppel) and Ryan (Artie Ahr) are
hard up graduate students who want to test some of their theories about
harnessing the human mind. “Borrowing” scientific equipment from their
university and secretly working in a garage, the two invent a method of translating
human thoughts into data which can be read and interpreted. Their first few
attempts are unsuccessful until Jordan (Amber Marie Bollinger)
joins their secret little club. Using human brain itself as the decoder, Jordan
solves the glitch, delivering a breakthrough to the duo’s experiment.
However, a secret government agency discovers their
project and presents them irresistible offers. Unknown to them, the agency
intends to make a widespread application of their invention, enabling them to
read the thoughts of everyone, even possibly manipulating their thoughts. While
Ryan is persuaded by their sweet talks, David escapes to Cambodia and trains to
control his thoughts in order to fight off the mind-reading enemies.
Listening has a
promising central premise executed with agility and playfulness. While most
films dealing with the human mind are bore-fest, the feature manages to be
thought-provoking, fast-paced and engrossing. It is basically plot-driven and
it is interesting to know how things unravel. Despite its low budget, Sullins
manages to make it appear more pricey. He has impressive visual command, making
frames by frames arresting and startling. In particular, he employs a variety
of oversaturated color palettes, ranging from blue and yellow in the early
scenes to greens in the garage lab moments and to the reds and whites towards
the end.
The plot may be fascinating but it has too many illogical
sequences, unsurprising twists and conventional characters. It is also
confusing what sort of impressions the movie wants to leave. The first act
appears to be a character study as we are introduced to the two lead figures
and their somewhat volatile relationship. While David is tied to his wife
Melanie (Christine Haeberman), Ryan is a lady-killer always on the hunt. Both
are financially struggling – David faces imminent eviction while Ryan tends to
her sick grandmother. However, too much sweet time has been allocated to such
back stories that have no huge bearing on the events after.
As sudden as Ryan’s indecisive action to disclose their
creation to key people, the movie unexpectedly shifts dynamics, giving more
intensity to suspense and thrill. It is an uncomfortable turn as the local and
personal, short-casted first half abruptly becomes an act filled with
villainous people whose actions have global repercussions.
Silly scientific tropes like experimental subjects attached
with endless wires and analog computers are ever present. Surprisingly, they
are convincing. As to the performances of the actors, they do not actually make
the film any more engaging.
With Listening,
Sullins displays promise as a director capable of creating a visually
remarkable and dynamically-paced feature. Now, he needs better screenplay and
better actors.
Production:
Listen Film
Cast: Thomas
Stroppel, Artie Ahr, Amber Marie Bollinger, Christine Haeberman, Steve Hanks,
Arn Chorn-Pond
Director/screenwriter:
Khalil Sullins
Producers: Pardis Sullins,Travis
Nicholson, Jamal Degruy, Khalil Sullins
Director of photography:
Blake McClure
Editor: Howard Heard
Production designer: Alec
Contestabile
Composer: Edward Patrick
White
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