The Sounding (2017) Online

This is a fascinating and very well made movie. A women decides not to talk, despite being mentally capable, and after her grandfather dies will only talk in Shakespearean quotations. It's a movie that asks the fundamental question of communication and let's you answer it. With a tremendous supporting performance from Harris Yulin, the grandfather, a well designed and written screenplay by newcomers Catherine Eaton and Bryan Delaney and a, quite simply, intriguing plot, this movie certainly succeeds. While it needs a little polish, as it drags in spots in the beginning and doesn't nail its ending, it is already very good nonetheless.

The Sounding is the kind of film you see every few years that comes out of the indie circuit and rekindles your belief in storytelling and the power of human connections. Beautifully shot, acted, and realized. These are filmmaker we'll hear from in the future. And Catherine Eaton is already a movie star.

The beauty of this film is it's ability to viscerally illuminate the struggles and triumphs we all encounter, at one point or another, to communicate. It touches deeply on how fragile and sublime life is. The story arc traces how difficult it can be to be clear about one's intentions, 'words' and actions, and how when we are not so clear, it can cause harm, despite our good intentions. Eaton's grounding in the Dharma becomes evident through her gentle yet strong performance as well as the film's allegiance to the core truth that all being's inherent qualities are kind and compassionate, even though we may be temporarily covered in a dirty cloth.

This film is one of the finest examples of a new filmmakers finding their voice and fully exploring the medium of film. With a screenplay by Catherine Eaton and Bryan Delaney, a creative and engaging plot and extraordinary performances from Ms. Eaton and the well- chosen ensemble cast including a fine supporting performance from Harris Yulin, this film leads one down unexpected paths and challenges your thinking about relationships, standards of normalcy and language. What is most intriguing about the film is it's wonderful use of cinematic language in the evocative landscape in which the story evolves and the wonderful faces of the ensemble. Well chosen aspects and enticing shots lead the audience into this unusual world of artists, not depending on dialogue alone but allowing the film to speak for itself. It creates a fascinating amalgam of incidents, relationships and solitude which linger in the memory long after the film is over. A really excellent first outing for this creative team!

As a Film Festival Director, my team and I previewed thousands of films and none better than THE SOUNDING. Amazing script,crisp and tense direction and an amazing cast. A drama/ thriller that will keep you interested from the beginning to the end. Catherine Eaton is a force to reckon with --- keep an eye out for her and don't miss this film if you have a chance to see it!

Satisfies the hunger for a good, original story told and acted well . . . a compelling mystery, at that, with nary a vampire or serial killer in sight. The premise of an intelligent, vital individual, choosing not to speak, seemingly content to summon, reconfigure and enter Shakespeare's words, poetry and drama at will, to suit her every mood and occasion is intriguing. Loved it.

This is a gorgeously made film about a woman determined to live her truth. Compelling and nuanced performances, stunning cinematography, and a brilliant premise. Asks important questions about difference and our culture's determination to "heal" or "fix" behaviors outside the norm. PS: Even if you've never liked Shakespeare, you'll love this film.

This beautifully shot, superbly written film was captivating to watch and contains a story of such depth that it will stay with the audience long after the credits end. Amazing scenery, steadfast directing and top notch acting add to a stimulating and thoughtful commentary on modern society. I'm looking forward to seeing more from these filmmakers!

This film is beautifully written, acted and shot. There is so much heart, so much grace and so much humanity in this film that it is impossible not to be moved. Watching this film I was transported to a world where love, humor, friendship, and poetry make life possible. It also made me laugh and weep while reveling in the beauty of the cinematography.

Look, very rarely do filmmakers and storytellers take huge risks in an attempt to take an audience into new territory...The Sounding is as much about that risk as it is about an intriguing, complex woman who plumbs the recesses of grief and genius. There are few perfect films, but what really matters is years from now will you still be thinking about it? This is one of those works who will resonate long after the lights have gone up in the theater and the remote control click has turned the screen off at home. A true achievement!

The Sounding is a terrific movie based on a play by Catherine Eaton who not only directs but stars in the movie as well. The story takes place in Maine where an elderly Grandfather (Harris Yulin) looks after his granddaughter Liv. Liv is believed to be mute and does not speak at all except quotes from Shakespeare plays like Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. After her Grandfather passes away from cancer Liv is taken by force to a mental institution while there the psychiatrists try to make Liv speak but she only speaks in Shakespeare and will write the works on her clothes. The movie is blessed with wonderful acting particularly by Harris Yulin who's grandfather role will leave you feeling emotional. But its the character of Liv played by Catherine Eaton that steals the movie. Will Liv learn to communicate with her own words instead of quotes by Shakespeare? You will have to see the movie to find out. The Sounding is one of the best independent films to come out in 2017. Highly recommended.

The Sounding is a brave film about resistance: resistance to conformity, to conventionality, to the expectations of the dominant culture and its narratives about normality and sanity and the kinds of lives we're allowed to pursue without the cultural enforcers, including the medical establishment and the state, coming down to set us straight via medication and even incarceration. So long as we speak the exoburban language of consumption and self and reaction and generally behave, chances are good we'll be left alone. But, if, one day, we lose faith in conventional discourse and subvert it by beginning to speak . . . Shakespeare, well, all bets are off.

Catherine Eaton is mesmerizing as Liv, a young woman who, on a windswept island off the Maine coast, has chosen to remain silent for years. Eventually, she begins to speak again, but in an English composed entirely of Shakespeare's words. That's when the assault on her freedom begins. She must be protected, mustn't she? Surely, she must be normalized, the cause of her anomalous behavior diagnosed, and a path to "recovery" prescribed and followed. Surely she must give up her resistance to those who would help her. Surely.

Ms. Eaton both directs the film and delivers a masterful, haunting, and powerful performance as Liv. The cinematography is breathtaking — the Maine coast is difficult to get wrong, but its desolate, Novemberish beauty is a poignant setting for Liv's struggle to be free and live an authentic life as she imagines it. Eaton has written that the film is ultimately about "otherness" and its cost. It couldn't come at a more propitious moment than the present that is witnessing a demonization of the foreign Other who presents such a vulnerable scapegoat onto which too many Americans are projecting their anxiety and insecurity. It will be a great benefit for this film to be available for all Americans to see and think about.

"The Sounding" starts with the highly original premise of a woman who speaks only in Shakespearian quotations. From there, it delves into a fearless examination of communication, cognition, and resolving one's truth with the presumptions of society. An outstanding lead turn by writer/director Catherine Eaton makes this a must-see. Admirers of Frank and Eleanor Perry's "David and Lisa" take note.

THE SOUNDING won the 2017 Arizona International Film Festival Grand Prize for a reason. It is rare for a film to move audiences as much as THE SOUNDING did.

Catherine Eaton is the Director, Co-Writer, and Star of THE SOUNDING. This combo can be a problem but this triple play enhanced the film. I can't imagine anyone else in those roles.

People were talking about it for days. It has been a while since a film grabbed an audience like that.

If THE SOUNDING screens anywhere near you, SEE IT!!!

I was blown away by how well the words of Shakespeare were used to drive the story. So much art in one movie. I was captivated from the first turning point and empathetic towards the protagonist. This is pure drama. I felt a surge of emotions in many scenes. There were very few that fell flat but the overall story was poignant and masterfully executed. A few times I noticed some some poor sound mixing which left me a bit distracted and took away from the touching scenes. This was however, a breath of fresh air to watch. I simply loved it.

The Sounding starts off strong with a very interesting concept that draws you into the film and gets you wondering what's going on. The movie has some wonderful touching moments in the first half while also serving to build up more intrigue. We also see some spectacularly beautiful shots of Monhegan Island in Maine. However, as the story progresses it falters. The second half of the movie seems built to get the two main characters in a room together for the movie's climatic revelation. To do this the movie sacrifices much of its believability (as believable as a woman who only speaks in snippets of Shakespeare can be). Which would perhaps be OK if that revelation was at all deserving of the buildup it had been given. The Sounding does a pretty good job of building up the audience's desire to know WHY, but its payoff leaves the audience unsatisfied and the ending seems like an afterthought meant only to create a "happy" resolution.

I respect the movie for what it attempted and it certainly has some good parts, but it ultimately falls short of the very high bar it sets for itself.