The Sound of Insects

The Sound of Insects is a critically acclaimed 2009 feature length documentary film directed by accomplished Swiss-Canadian filmmaker Peter Liechti. The film, featuring voice-overs by Peter Mettler, Alexander Tschernek, and Nikola Weisse, is like no other, offering its audience a bone-chilling yet unprecedented journey into the enigma of life and death.

Without traditional characters or a classic narrative structure, The Sound of Insects adopts a unique and stylistically revolutionary approach to filmmaking. It is based on the diary of an unidentified man, discovered in a tent, tucked away in the vast depths of a forest, who deliberately starved himself to death. The diary acts as a testament to his final act - it narrates his encounter with death, his observations, feelings, and the psychological state of his final 40 days.

The diary excerpts are read by Peter Mettler, accompanied by an eerie soundscape and visually astounding imagery of nature, creating an impossibly immersive viewing experience. It is a chillingly introspective exploration that forces the viewers to confront their deepest fears and contemplate the nature of life, death and its surrounding mysteries.

At the forefront is the film's sound design- the unsettling quiet is regularly punctuated by the natural sounds of the world outside the withering man's tent, particularly discernible is the sound of insects. These discordant and magnified sounds of nature and insects weave together an auditory backdrop that is both compelling and disturbing, symbolizing the incessant march of time and the dispassionate indifference of nature.

Alexander Tschernek and Nikola Weisse contribute their voices to the layered soundscape, augmenting the overall eeriness and intensity. The frequent integration of close-ups of insects and their sounds with the abstract visuals, enhance the stylistic choices that Liechti has made, intended to be both repelling and captivating.

Liechti’s interpretation of this man’s journey serves as a stark contrast to a world obsessed with longevity and survival. It is bound to trigger a range of emotions within its audience—horror, fascination, confusion, and even empathy—as they are plunged into this dark exploration of the ultimate human solitude.

The Sound of Insects is not a tale synonym to entertainment. It is an artistic meditation on the intricate dance of life and death, intended for those with an open mind and those unafraid to face their mortality. There are no protagonists, antagonists, or structured narratives—instead, viewers are introduced to an esoteric side of human psychology that strips the veneer of standardized existential perceptions and dares to face the inevitable end which most are fearful of even acknowledging.

The cinematography, by Peter Guyer and Patrick Lindenmaier, is strikingly detailed. A huge chunk of the film features non-linear and highly fragmented visuals to mimic the solitary man's perception and state of mind as he retreats further into his self-imposed fasting and demise. A combination of vivid, high-definition natural scenery and the haunting indications of human presence work to construct the isolated, secluded world his dying body inhabits.

The film, despite its relatively anonymous approach to its subject matter, is deeply intimate. It laces together the man’s train of thought, his psychological state, his reflections, and his recording of his body deteriorating day by day as he heads towards his voluntarily approached death. The audience is taken along on this arrival towards mortality, making it hard to be detached from his journey.

In essence, The Sound of Insects is an existential meditation that compels the audience to ponder over the fine line between life and death, a topic usually pushed aside. It's a challenging and thought-provoking piece of cinematic work that plunges headfirst into the tapestry of human existence. Peter Liechti delivers an unprecedented feat of filmmaking, an austere but profound look at a life opting for its own departure from the world. Indeed it is a film that proves cinema is far more than mere storytelling.