Tim Lambard

I thought this was an interesting and at times very unsettling portrayal of someone who experiences mental anguish because they experience something other people can’t understand and rush to define or just outright dismiss because it makes them uncomfortable. I’ve read the reviews which seem very focused on conspiracy culture and how vulnerable people can quickly get led down rabbit holes and exploited. I actually didn’t see the programme this way although it’s a pervasive theme throughout, it wasn’t the main takeaway for me. It’s also a portrayal (if you see it this way) of a vulnerable person getting sucked into a cult like group which promises to provide the support, connection, validation and “feeling seen and heard” that two of the main characters feel is so sorely missing from their lives. There’s all sorts of other stuff going on. Many of the characters in the group are having some sort of crisis brought on by stresses experienced at their stage of life or where they seem to have lost or devoted themselves to something greater only to forget who they really are and what they want or need. The people in the group all come at the phenomena from a different angle, including in one case government conspiracy and suppression, which may or may not be linked to other elements of the story. They are all on a search for meaning. The “hum” is presented as an external phenomena and suggested that perhaps these people are tuning into something primal that’s always been there. Various possible explanations are hinted at. Fairly heftily implied possible shared shamanic and/or meditative experiences. Questions about whether time is linear or if we can tap into some other altered state beyond the one we regularly inhabit on a mundane basis. Mental “illness” and how society views this in a way that isolates and potentially exacerbates the problem. All of this stuff is thrown into the pot and nothing is answered or tied up nicely with a bow - you will NOT be spoonfed, you will NOT be shown what you should be thinking and you WILL likely find it uncomfortable (one thread surrounding the nature of the main protagonist’s relationship with the teenage boy is particularly perplexing and troubling, rest assured this is actually addressed and laid to rest by the end). This is not reassuring, it’s not escapist fantasy, by the numbers or mindless formulaic action or romantic comedy. It is however a thoughtful, unsettling look at how the pressures and demands of modern society can blind us to each other and how we need to learn to listen more, and more effectively to each other in order to support each other where it matters. And that seems very relevant these days.

I watched this with no expectations of what it was or should deliver on and that was good because the film - despite being a mish mash of various stuff done previously in other films - refused to settle itself fully into any definable category. Just when you start getting comfortable with what you think you might be watching it changes gear or focus again and unbalances you whilst drawing you in. It holds you accountable for investing in cliches and formulas. I thought the film was Ok. I liked the way it asked questions about human nature, morality, good and evil. The characterisation and acting I thought were really well done - again, kept you thinking and wondering about what was really going on with the characters throughout. I didn’t like some of the plot holes although I wouldn’t say they’re glaring. Perhaps it should either have been trimmed into a leaner movie or explored further and extended into a series. But despite it’s meandering focus it had me interested. I would say this film is creepy at times, unsettling and suspenseful and has stayed with me after watching it; but sometimes I like watching films like that which leave a mark and challenge the way you see things a bit. Even to the point of writing a review on a site like this which is something I don’t normally do!