Noise
Director: Kim Soo-jin
Starring: Lee Sun-bin, Kim Min-seok, Ryu Kyung-soo, Baek Joo-hee, Han Soo-a
I have an annoying sixth sense that is able to pick up even the smallest sounds my neighbours make. I then take that sense and irrationally remain annoyed for a while, even though I’m aware that the neighbours really aren’t being noisy at all. So, when I heard about Kim Soo-jin’s Noise, I felt like I had finally found a film that would speak to me (at a respectable level, of course). The film follows Ju-young (Sun-bin), a young woman with a hearing impairment, as she begins to experience strange sounds and an evil presence in the apartment she shares with her sister Joo-hee (Su-ah). When Joo-hee inexplicably disappears, despite last being seen in her apartment, Ju-young begins to investigate the matter. Feeling increasingly cornered and frustrated with a lack of assistance from others in the block she resides in, Ju-young learns that something more sinister is at play in the apartment block.
"The sound design is the real champion here, as it really put me, as the viewer, at the heart of the tension and right alongside Ju-young, in a way."
Rolling in at just over ninety minutes, Noise has the essence of Asian horror at its core. Built on suspense, atmosphere, sound design, and patience rather than an overreliance on jump scares and cheap music jolts, the film executes its key storybeats confidently and effectively for the majority of the time. However, I couldn’t help but think something was missing throughout. Now, Soo-jin shows great restraint in holding back just what is making things go bump in the night (and all throughout the day) and instead focuses on Ju-young’s investigation, as well as handling the grief she feels following her parents' death in a car accident that left her without hearing and Ju-hee with a noticeable limp. That should be applauded; less is more. But what was truly missing was an emotional heartbeat. Ju-young wants to find her sister, of course she does, but I never truly felt a connection between them - partly due to them sharing very little screen time together. Similarly, Ju-hee’s boyfriend, Ki-hoon (Min-seok), appears at one point during the film, though we never see the couple share any screen time, thus making it hard to really connect with the idea of them.
Lee Sun-bin plays the lead role of Ju-young splendidly, and I found no issues connecting with her. Her performance captured the necessary emotions throughout the film - fear, paranoia, anger, sadness - it’s just that narrative and emotional connection with Ju-hee that hinders the film. Though his role is smaller, Ryu Kyung-soo is menacing as the tenant in the apartment below the sisters, who also claims to hear strange noises and threatens to murder the pair if they do not keep the alleged noise down.
​
Speaking of noise and sound, this is what really propels the film forward. The use of sound, mainly presented from Ju-young’s perspective, as she experiences noise differently depending on the setting of her hearing aid, really provides an immersive experience. It wasn’t overly distracting, but it was always there. Known as inter-floor noise, the thumps, bangs, and creaks of everyday life transmitted through apartment floors are apparently a culturally resonant concern in South Korean high-rise blocks, thus grounding Noise on a level that will relate, and haunt, many. Every noise can be made to sound sinister when mixed with distorted, almost otherworldly chatter, and this is what plagues the residents of the block, many of whom previously found it too much, let’s just say. The sound design is the real champion here, as it really put me, as the viewer, at the heart of the tension and right alongside Ju-young, in a way.
​
With its grimy aesthetic and excellent sound design, Noise was very nearly an excellent film. However, the lack of connection with the emotion of the film and some minor pacing issues prevent this from hitting the heights for me. Engaging, but overall a solid experience rather than a stellar one.
July 18th 2025