Conductor (2018)
Directed by: Alex Noyer
Written by: Alex Noyer
Starring: Joshua Canada, Jukka Hilden, Kelli Jordan, Michael Maclane, Nora Nagatani
CONDUCTOR (2018)
Written and Directed by Alex Noyer
Entering a competition in his local mall, Josh (Michael Maclane) attempts to create a beat that will surpass the rest to win a top-of-the-line drum machine. Hindered by his annoying best friend, Josh struggles to find his rhythm but lucky for him he’s guided by a young woman in the crowd by the name of Alexis (Kelli Jordan). Calming him down, Alexis allows Josh to channel creative skills to produce a competitive groove that has the chance to beat the rivals. However, Josh doesn’t realise how sick his beat really is…
As I sat at my desk on a Sunday afternoon, I decided to watch Alex Noyer’s debut short film, not really reading the synopsis therefore not letting myself know what I was exactly getting myself into. Though I may write about films almost daily, I generally try to ignore or overlook the storyline summaries of films in press releases or on the back of DVD covers so I can go into a movie “blind”, as it were, and enjoy the movie as it’s revealed real-time. So with a title like Conductor and the opening scene of a young man attempting to lay down some mean beats on a drum machine and failing badly, I put my feet up and settled down into my office chair…
6 mins later… I’m gawping at the screen, uttering the words “holy shit” in disbelief. Noyer’s Conductor isn’t Sunday dinnertime viewing. That’s reserved for BBC 2 classic films in black and white from years gone by not sadistic displays to rival SAW. Conductor is about as shocking and unexpected as you can get, completely flipping on its modern and meek opening scenes. Noyer wants you to sit up and watch what he’s put onto film and you have no choice but to obey. Look away all you want ‘cos the audio will do far more than just the talking.
Conductor is without a doubt an attack on the senses. It lures you in with its optimistic yet nervous character by plopping him in a scenario that we may all have come across at some point. The pressure to perform and an annoying mate making things worse by sticking his phone in your face, are just two things you don’t exactly need when attempting to enter a music competition whilst a queue of disgruntled, impatient people are looking on, waiting for their turn to enter a track. I don’t think anyone could predict what happens next…
Slickly made and just the right duration to make a jaw-dropping impact that lasts well into the credits, Conductor is a breath of fresh air. The detail put into the audio work is outstanding whilst the special effects will no doubt make you squirm. It’s disturbing and in some ways could be described as gratuitous, but for many horror fans out there, it’ll more than hit the high notes.
A tremendous effort for his debut, Alex Noyer is certainly a name I’ll be watching closely for in the near future.
Conductor is currently making its way around the festival circuit and is due to hit Grimmfest 2018 in October.
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