When Time Got Louder Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

When Time Got Louder Blu-ray Movie Review

"It means he's not always going to be able to tell us what he needs or wants..."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown May 22, 2024

I'm not crying. You're crying. Sniff. Seriously, still teary as I start to write this. When Time Got Louder is an absolute gut-punch of a coming of age story, and I'm not usually a sucker for what typically proves to be saccharine, overly manufactured, heart-strings melodrama. But Time is anything but any of that. An examination of the heartbreak involved in choosing between pursuing one's own life or that of a disadvantaged loved one's well-being, writer/director Connie Cocchia's 2022 Canadian award contender is a drama of the highest order; an honest, frank, genuinely moving exploration of hopes and dreams being hung in the balance, competing against the reality of what it means to care for someone who can't care for himself. Would you toss aside your future to give your brother more love? Or would you pursue your own path and leave his fate to others? It's an impossible question but one When Time Got Louder handles with the deftest touch.

When high school graduate Abbie Peterson (up-and-comer to watch, Willow Shields, The Hunger Games) grabs hold of her independence and departs for college, she leaves behind her parents, Tish (Elizabeth Mitchell, The Purge: Election Year, Lost) and Mark (Lochlyn Munro, Peacemaker, Riverdale), and her brother, Kayden (Jonathan Simao, the young filmmaker responsible for Separate Sights), ready to embrace a future all her own. But the non-verbal Kayden is afflicted with extreme autism, to the point it's impossible for him to take any meaningful control of his life. As Abbie explores her newfound world and falls in love with another student named Karly (Ava Capri), she begins to feel guilty as her parents struggle to care for her brother in her absence. Written and directed by Connie Cocchia, the film also stars Piper Curda, Aias Dalman, Ava Grace Cooper, Matthew Kevin Anderson, Sam Robert Muik, Bronwen Smith, Milo Shandel, Sindy Lau and Sharon Taylor.

What could have been a sugary, slather-the-emotions-on-thick parade down tear-jerk lane turns out to be a film so much richer and poignant than I gave it credit for after first watching the trailer. Mitchell and Munro play Mark and Tish as parents on the verge of failure, desperate to allow their daughter to spread her wings but terrified as to what it means for Kayden. With mom and dad in distinctly believable peril, the pressure and stress laid at Abbie's feet isn't just a problem without a solution; it's a conflict without an antagonist. Kayden is dearly loved by everyone in his family, but the years of dealing with a child with such a debilitating neurodevelopmental disorder has left his parents ragged and worn, and his sister an adult without much of a childhood. The earnestness of the screenplay and performances only intensify the dilemma, making it clear that this isn't a pre-packaged drama, it's the exact sort of challenge many strong, loving families face each year; families who also fail to come up with a perfect solution. I quickly forgot I was watching four actors. It became Abbie, Tish, Mark and Kayden, almost to the point that I felt as if I were intruding in an actual family's personal lives. When Time Got Louder is that engrossing.

There are weak spots. Many of the supporting actors simply don't come across as believably as the Petersons, and there's a bit of a necessary evil vibe to the scenes in which they have to do some of the heavy lifting. There are also a handful of scenes that do feel artificial; scenes in which I suddenly could see the mechanics of the drama at the core of the film, or scenes in which exposition wasn't handled as gracefully or as subtly as it is elsewhere. Little of that matters, ultimately, but When Time Got Louder isn't quite the perfect film I wanted it to be at every turn. A touch of polish and some more tightening of casting and pacing could have vaulted it into Oscar territory. As is, it's a startlingly powerful film that rips away most of the usual Hollywood trappings to tell a hard story and tell it very well.

When Time Got Louder Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

When Time Got Louder's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation is somewhat inconsistent; sharp and vibrant one moment, softer and more subdued the next. It's hardly the fault of the technical transfer or the encoding, and wholly the product of Graham and Nelson Talbot's at-times stark, somber cinematography, but it's worth noting as the film doesn't always look all that impressive. Nevertheless, skintones are relatively lifelike at all times, contrast and the intended saturation are dialed in nicely, and black levels, though rarely dipping below a deep, charcoal gray, are satisfying. When detail is on point, it's notable as well. Edges are cleanly defined and altogether natural, while fine textures are filmic and well-resolved. There also isn't any encoding issues to speak of, meaning banding, blocking and the like are nowhere to be found.

When Time Got Louder Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The film's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track revels in the ordinary as well, and does so by design. Dialogue remains intelligible and convincingly prioritized throughout, music is reserved and never invasive, and dynamics are decidedly decent. LFE output isn't aggressive by any means, nor is rear speaker activity, but this is largely a conversational film. Party scenes at Abbie's college certainly stand as the exception to that rule, so the mix isn't struggling by any means. Directionality is stealthy but precise, pans are smooth, and the soundfield is suitably immersive, especially when Abbie or her parents venture out into the world, be it a beach, a grocery store, around campus, or in a doctor's office.

When Time Got Louder Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

I'm sure there's quite a personal tale behind the film, or at least a familiarity with several stories much like the one When Time Got Louder presents. But you won't know for sure from picking up the movie's Blu-ray release, as there aren't any special features. Not even a filmmaker interview.

When Time Got Louder Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

When Time Got Louder is a genuinely heartfelt and heart-wrenching film that defies genre tropes to deliver a story that almost unfolds like a documentary. Its Blu-ray release, meanwhile, is quite good too, with above average video and audio that are more than sufficient for the task at hand. It's not a perfect film or an unforgettable disc, but still comes highly recommended.