CinÉireann May 2018 | Page 58

The Delinquent Season is an emotionally taught debut feature from distinguished theatre director and film/theatre scribe Mark O’Rowe. For a first-time director, the film brings some very nuanced sound elements to the screen. When asked about this, the self-deprecating director openly credits his experienced sound team for the film’s soundscape.

At its most basic, The Delinquent Season tells the story of two couples whose lives seem ordinary enough at the start, but, through a series of everyday complications, become entwined in ways both intimate and emotionally distant. Lies and deception lead to a series of quiet encounters that leave characters feeling isolated and often “alone” in a room full of other people.

One of the devices used to great effect in creating this sense of isolation is the mix of background sounds. Even when two characters are alone in a hotel room, sharing a fragile moment early in a relationship, the sound of outside traffic is still gently present. In this way, re-recording mixer Ken Galvin’s mix gives us a sense of the outside world, effectively reminding us that these two are hiding, and this is very much a stolen, secret moment. And, in a restaurant scene that emotionally bookends the film, the camera pushes in on its subject, creating a sense of isolation, while we’re still given the sound of the other diners, and the faintest trickle of rain on a distant window. The result is a woman very much alone in a crowd. And when her companion arrives, we hear him before we see him. His mildly overloud voice serves as an intrusion that highlights her isolation by abruptly ending it.

By that same token, the film’s most powerful moments are often either off screen or altogether soundless. Reactions to a daughter probing through a closed bathroom door, and a babysitter’s reactions to a teary parent, are all the more telling for what we hear (or don’t hear), but cannot see.

At a recent IFI screening and Q&A, O’Rowe spoke candidly about the learning curve encountered while directing his first feature film. Compared to theatre, where there are so many moving parts beyond working with the actors, he found himself trusting his collaborators for much of the technical and logistical work, and realizes how lucky he was to have assembled such a solid team. He admits that they brought things to the mix (like the sounds of an ever-present outside world) that wouldn’t have occurred to him. He tells us that somewhere there is a quieter version of the mix that they listened to, but when he heard this version it just sounded right.

And, though low key, The Delinquent Season does sound right. In a film about life’s complications intruding on peace of mind, nothing is intrusive in this mix. The layers of sound are finely crafted to enhance key moments just enough and no more.

What do you listen for, and what are you hearing?

Please address your questions, comments, or criticisms to [email protected].

- Glenn Kaufmann

Dublin, May 2018

Sound on Film

The Delinquent Season

With Glenn Kaufmann

58 CinÉireann / May 2018