Australian actor Guy Pearce is becoming quite expert at playing memory-haunted or -afflicted characters. Although "Till Human Voices Wake Us," written and directed by Michael Petroni (who wrote the screenplays for "Queen of the Damned" and "The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys") isn't exactly like "Memento" it definitely mines similar territory. Sadly, slow-moving, ponderous and, at times, a bit cheeseball, this film is no "Memento."
Perhaps the wordly and indulgent title should serve as a warning. Though "Till Human Voices Wake Us" is by no means the worst movie you'll see this year, it's not the best, either.
Psychology professor Sam Frank (Pearce) returns home to his small Australian town to bury his father. Closed down emotionally -- he says he doesn't even dream anymore -- Sam finds that memories he has blocked out for years come flooding back.
He's haunted by images of his father, of himself and of affectionate, pastoral summer days spent with his first love, a handicapped girl named Silvy, whose family adores young Sam.
{INSERT_RELATED}Meanwhile, on the train back to Genoa, he briefly meets Ruby (Helena Bonham Carter), who returns to the story later when, Sam, driving late at night, sees her perched atop a railroad bridge. As a train rolls by, she falls into the raging river and Sam leaps in to rescue her, only to find that when she awakes, she carries a flood of further memories back to him.
Ruby has amnesia, but as she and Sam spend more and more time together in the town, revisiting the places of his youth, each begins to recognize not only himself, but the other.
While Pearce and Carter are weighed down in the heavy-handed part of the film, Lindley Joiner, who plays young Sam, and Brooke Harman, who plays Silvy, turn in spirited performances that capture the immediacy and importance of first love and of youthful passion and desire.
"Till Human Voices Wake Us" has some fine moments -- thanks mostly to Joiner and Harmon -- but perhaps not enough to keep you facing forward for an hour and 40 minutes.
"Till Human Voices Wake Us" is out on DVD.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
