Till Human Voices Wake Us (2002)

Director:

Michael Petroni

Writer:

Michael Petroni (writer)

Release Date:

12 September 2002 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

There will be time to wonder "do I dare"

Plot:

A man returns to Victoria, Australia, where he grew up, and encounters a mysterious woman who reminds him of someone he once knew.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Friend | Poetry | Guilt | Amnesia

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Guy Pearce	...	Dr. Sam Franks
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Ruby
Frank Gallacher	...	Maurie Lewis
Lindley Joyner	...	Young Sam Franks
Brooke Harmon	...	Silvy Lewis
Peter Curtin	...	Dr. David Franks
Margot Knight	...	Dorothy Lewis
Anthony Martin	...	Russ
Dawn Klingberg	...	Mrs. Sarks
David Ravenswood	...	Lawyer
Stewart Faichney	...	Reverend Mortenbury
Diana Greentree	...	Mrs. Pickford
Ian Swan	...	Police Sergeant
Mark Perren Jones	...	Police Constable
Sally Plant	...	Student #1

MPAA:

Rated R for a scene of sexuality.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Cinevex)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Australia:M | Netherlands:MG6 | UK:12 | USA:R | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Australia

Company:

Instinct Entertainment

Trivia:

The title is taken from the last line of 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' by T.S. Eliot: "Till human voices wake us and we drown".

Goofs:

Continuity: When first seen at the Scrabble board, Sam's face is in full light in the close-ups, but lit from his left with shadows on the right side of his face in the medium shot.

Quotes:

Silvy Lewis: If moths are attracted to the light, why don't they come out in the day?
Young Sam Franks: ...guess in the day, light comes to them.

A dream taking over a life

I watched this movie on television while it was running several times one month. The first time I watched it, I got antsy and changed the channel back and forth. I wound up watching it in its entirety several times later on. It is a haunting, intriguing film. Guy Pearce, of course, is extraordinary and so is Helena BC. I see it as a portrayal of a tortured soul who is still in shock from a momentary incident which altered his existence forever. One moment he is an innocent boy and the next he is suppressing a nightmare he cannot come to terms with for half his adult life.

Once he allows himself to live the entire scenario with all the memories and the what if's, when he allows the ghost to be free, the tortured soul is also released. A beautiful, poetic and memorable film.