Sound of Oslo, 31. August

We follow the story of a man struggling to rebuild his social life, fighting against his addiction and his malaise.

From the beginning of the film, we understand that the sound really is the most important aspect of the movie. There is an almost total absence of it, apart from a voiceover.

We are immersed into a city of Oslo that seems more like a ghost town. Like our main character who seems to no longer feel and appreciate anything. It is as if his soul has left his being, as if the city has lost its inhabitants. Thus, the sound reflects the depressive aspect of the main character. The whole film immerses us in this atmosphere which, even if it is very beautiful at first sight, quickly becomes very disturbing.

We understand after his suicide attempt and an addicts’ meeting that there is a dark side to this character that has totally overwhelmed him. He no longer feels anything, except fatigue. He is empty. At the sound level, this part of his personality is precisely supported by very few sounds.

For example, in the forest sequence, we hear very little noises, when we should hear the river or the birds. In the other hand, there is an increase of disturbing and annoying sounds, such as alarm sirens and screeching brakes. His mental state is thus represented at the sound level. We feel a permanent oppression through this void, but also through very dark layers. The atmospheres come and go.

This culminates into the final scenes, and this long sequence shot, and we understand that he has lost his battle against his addiction: the sound is this time completely absent, he has given up on living.

What does the sound convey in Oslo, 31. august?

The character is alone, literally with nothing. And for us, it is the image and the dialogues that make us understand this, but it is the sound choices and treatment that makes us really feel it. It is by this process that the director has chosen to accentuate the immersion in the skin of this character. Since the sound is the most powerful way to convey emotions in a movie, the director and his sound team understood the importance of its use and quite brilliantly created a unique experience.

Written on the spot, during my first watch