Everyone has a bucket list of things they want to do before they die or have a family or go to college. But have you ever thought of a list of things you’d want to record for a playlist and hear for yourself before you go deaf?
The Ultimate Playlist of Noise is a straight to Hulu Young Adult road trip film by director Bennett Lasseter, starring Keean Johnson (Marcus) and Madeline Brewer (Wendy) whose characters take a spontaneous road trip to New York to fulfill some goals before Marcus loses his hearing for good.
Marcus is an absolute music nut - a fact that turns him into the ultimate playlist maker for his classmates at his school. His love for music, mainly decade old indie bands like Pavement and Sonic Youth, stems from his older brother, Alex (Gordon Winarick), who was an inspiring young musician who tragically died in a house fire when Marcus was a child. Marcus bears a scar on his back from the house fire that he gained before his brother Alex saved him from the fire. Luckily, Marcus made it out but his brother Alex did not, or that’s how Marcus remembers it anyway. Marcus and his two best friends go out to enjoy a concert but as Marcus admires the opening act Wendy, he gets elbowed in the face, which leads to a seizure, which leads to him finding out he has a brain tumor, which in turn leads to him having a surgery, which eventually will lead to him losing his hearing. Marcus is crushed since he loves sound so much - he even wears headphones over ear buds so he can enjoy his indie punk mixed in with some ambient sounds of thunderstorms or tides crashing. So he makes the Ultimate Playlist of his favorite Sounds and embarks on a journey to New York to go to a music studio to hear the last sound on his list, his brother's demo before he passed. As he embarks on his journey he runs into (literally with his car) Wendy, the opener from the concert he had a seizure at, and she joins him on his journey because she’s trying to escape reality too.
As this film follows their adventure, it captures some really beautiful cinematography. I loved seeing Marcus recording his favorite sounds while also creating memories with Wendy, which made for some really heartwarming emo ambient aesthetic shots, like sitting closely under an umbrella in the pouring rain just to record the sound of wolves howling at night for example. Everything was shot so well and matched wonderfully with a solid indie rock soundtrack that just really captured that YA indie feel we all love in our YA movies.
This film really drove some heavy topics of mental health into the story. Wendy’s reasoning for escaping to New York was to get away from an abusive boyfriend, and the only thing she really had was her music and guitar and she just needed to get away. She uses Marcus’s story to further her own, but in the end she realizes her purpose thanks to Marcus’s belief in her music. Marcus went to New York thinking his brother was a hero, only to find out from his brother’s bandmate that Alex planned the house fire as a suicide. The last song Alex recorded was basically his suicide note that dealt heavily with starting a house fire, and Marcus had to listen to that unfold just days before he loses his hearing for good. The sad part about it is his parents hid that truth from him his whole life because they didn’t want him to hate his older brother and his diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder, they wanted him to remember his brother as the hero he thinks he is. Really heavy stuff to deal with after a lifetime of looking up to someone.
In the end of it all, Marcus is able to complete his playlist and even upload it to Hulu as he embraces learning sign language and undergoing the surgery that will remove his hearing forever. It was really rewarding to see him at peace with it because he got to complete his goal before it happened. This film really shared a story of losing hope and finding hope again in your friends and family and your passions, and brought us a really well written film to start off 2021.
My closing thoughts on The Ultimate Playlist of Noise is if your film aesthetic is sad but also happy like Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist or Juno, this film is straight up your alley. This was a very enjoyable film with a solid and fun story that had its emotional moments. It’s streaming on HULU now so I highly HIGHLY recommend it.
RORSCHACH RATING:
Mental Health Moment: In the middle of this film, Marcus finds out the truth of his brother’s death: a suicide which was hidden from him by his parents. Marcus struggles hard with forgiving his mom for this and she explains it’s because she didn’t want Marcus to hate Alex for his mental health struggles. It really sucks that this stigma still exists today, that people still find it necessary to hide mental health away. It creates a space where people like Alex who are dealing with suicidal thoughts don’t feel comfortable talking about it and it puts them in a dark place. His parents weren’t open to being ok with him not being ok and didn’t know how to handle it, even years later when Marcus is older and going through his own emotions. Always have an open ear to people, even if you don’t understand it yourself. Poor mental health doesn’t make them crazy or weak, it means they need you in ways they can’t meet themselves. My takeaway from this is to love each other unconditionally. Always check up on your people, no matter how well you know them. We need each other.
If you or someone you know is reading this right now and struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message, or tweet at us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!
Victims and Villains is written (and produced) by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey and others, and edited by Cam Smith. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. The Ultimate Playlist of Noise is property of Hulu. We do not own nor claim any rights.
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