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Dissonance has a really great visual look. There are many scenes with low contrast and low lighting, but this serves to enhance the dark mood of the film. I really liked the effect used when Adam was in the confessional, where the screen cast a shadow over the priest’s face. Also, the extreme shadows and low light in a later scene in Adam’s father’s house matched its dark and ominous mood very well.
Though the movie consisted of many different locations, I didn’t notice one instance where the visual elements were off. Even with so many different effects and lighting changes, the entire film was very consistent in its visuals.
Like its visual aspect, this film’s audio was also very strong. The dialogue was clear and easy to understand – even in scenes where noises alternated between loud screams and almost whispers (which can sometimes be very hard to control). Perhaps my favorite part in regards to the audio aspect was the very beautiful and moving sound of the Adhan – the Islamic call to prayer. The effect of an a cappella voice – and only that voice – is a very moving one.
I also enjoyed the soundtrack, which had some really lovely and moving songs. The composer should be lauded for his impressive work.
This film’s $25,000 budget was spent on equipment ($10,000), food/catering/Kraft services ($3,500), Insurance/permits ($2,500), transportation ($2,500), and payment for the cast and crew ($5,000).
Since this film was shot in New York, it couldn’t have been easy to keep many of these costs down, and many of these numbers seem about average even in lower-cost cities. Though $10,000 seems like a lot to spend on equipment, it does seem like money well-spent as Dissonance’s visual and audio aspects are quite impressive, plus the equipment can be put to use in future projects as well.
Dissonance does look very impressive, and its makers show a definite knowledge of the filmmaking process. There are some really good moments in the film, but its lack of structure and a clear, cohesive plot takes a lot away from the story and makes the film more difficult to watch than it should be.
One other item to keep in mind is the possibility of offending certain viewers when it comes to the film’s religious aspect. The tagline of the movie – “WHEN CHOOSING A GOD, CHOOSE WISELY” – seemed a little confusing to me, as the majority of the film’s negative characters are Catholic, where most of its positive characters are Muslim. I’m sure many people would agree that there certainly is a shortage of sympathetic Muslim characters, so it is rather refreshing to see something different. Although, as a Catholic myself, I have to admit to some definite frustration at seeing yet another film that portrays Catholics as either crazy religious fanatics, or out of touch and unaware. In addition, there was some language used that was very out of character - at one point, Sister Mary mentions "getting saved," a phrase that is common among Protestant Christians, but almost never used by Catholics. Other than perhaps the character of Sister Mary, the film does seem to be making a definite negative statement against Catholicism, which could be offensive to many viewers.
Dissonance takes a unique look at the fine line between religion and madness, but also at the possibility of change, hope, and redemption. It has the makings of a very moving story, but needs better structure and clearer definition in order to reach its full potential.
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Content |
5.9 |
Visual
Look |
9.3 |
Use
of Audio |
9.4 |
Use
of Budget |
8.5 |
Lasting
Appeal |
6.8 |
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7.9 |
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The
author of half a dozen screen plays, two novels, and a proficient
camera-woman in her own right, Monika
DeLeeuw-Taylor is Microfilmmaker's lead writing analyst and
one of our top film reviewers. When she's not writing a critique for
Microfilmmaker, she's writing screenplays for Viking Productions. |
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