Bought this on Amazon the other day on a punt cuz I thought it looked different and it's quite a good little film. It's about a bloke with mental problems who lives on his own and hears voices that come out of toys. The opening of the film was pretty calm, but then the voices got introduced and it all kicked off! The actors and actresses are all new to me but are good at what they do (the bald bloke is hilarious). The two main women are very nice to look at too! It made a change to see a modern film with a sort of comedy that you don't see everywhere and maybe its because its not a mainstream release that the language was hilariously politically incorrect, but not out of order. And I liked the end. Thumbs up. Worth a watch.
4 Reviews
How to live with the voices in your head
blumdeluxe26 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"Selective listening" tells the story of a grown up man who suffers from a mental disorder and hears several voices in his head that tell him how to behave and comment on all of his actions. When he meets a seemingly nice girl online, he becomes obsessed with her and soon finds himself misunderstood and accused of being a stalker.
The movie is noticeably different than your average blockbuster. At first it feels a bit strange to see the voices, represented by dolls, take action and I was afraid that it could turn out to take the topic not serious enough. However, the humor proved to be very clever and you soon begin to emphasize with the main character, especially because your knowledge of the voices make his actions appear a lot more plausible than they'd do without it. Despite all the laughs, it gets obvious that the film also tells a very serious story that deserves to be thought through.
All in all this is a good example for how smaller films with less budget can have an impact through creative ideas and a story worth being told. It is a bit experimental and you have to get used to the style but I'd say it is worth it.
The movie is noticeably different than your average blockbuster. At first it feels a bit strange to see the voices, represented by dolls, take action and I was afraid that it could turn out to take the topic not serious enough. However, the humor proved to be very clever and you soon begin to emphasize with the main character, especially because your knowledge of the voices make his actions appear a lot more plausible than they'd do without it. Despite all the laughs, it gets obvious that the film also tells a very serious story that deserves to be thought through.
All in all this is a good example for how smaller films with less budget can have an impact through creative ideas and a story worth being told. It is a bit experimental and you have to get used to the style but I'd say it is worth it.
A great British indie film.
izzysmurf7 February 2016
I love finding little gems like this.
This is the third film I've seen recently about 'the voices in your head'. The first was 'The Voices' (with Ryan Reynolds) and the second was Disney's 'Inside Out'. But, thinking about it, 'Selective Listening' may be my favourite of the three.
It is a film that truly fits within the category of a comedy-drama as it is very funny throughout but held together by a serious theme. It's about a man who hears voices and so uses toys to embody them as a means of controlling them. Therefore, rather than the voices coming from nowhere, they come out of puppets that only he can see. He has one friend who doesn't treat him very well and so he uses social media to try and make new friends, but things don't go as planned.
Each voice has its own personality, like violence and paranoia. I loved the toy that was obsessed with sex! He was hilarious. There is a lot of swearing and offensive insults that might make some people cringe in polite company, but my boyfriend and I laughed all the way through and all the language feels justified because it fits within the context of the film.
There is a psychological aspect to the film because at times the voices become mixed and its unclear what is real or just in the main character's head. It made me feel sorry for the guy and impressed upon me what it must be like to hear voices, let alone be ostracised for having the affliction. But in the midst of it all I was forced into guilty laughter at what was being said.
It is one of those films that you have to watch more than once as there is so much humour and so many things going on, I could tell there were jokes hidden in the background and I sometimes missed jokes because he was laughing.
The film itself has got charm because it doesn't have a mainstream feel and, although it is apparently low-budget, it doesn't feel cheap. I didn't recognise any of the actors but they are all really good. I love the girl who is obsessed with her social media page and "film career". Her YouTube audition for a low-budget gangster film made me laugh. It has some great shots and the script is funny and original.
A funny film to watch from the outside, but I definitely wouldn't want those voices in my head! 8/10
This is the third film I've seen recently about 'the voices in your head'. The first was 'The Voices' (with Ryan Reynolds) and the second was Disney's 'Inside Out'. But, thinking about it, 'Selective Listening' may be my favourite of the three.
It is a film that truly fits within the category of a comedy-drama as it is very funny throughout but held together by a serious theme. It's about a man who hears voices and so uses toys to embody them as a means of controlling them. Therefore, rather than the voices coming from nowhere, they come out of puppets that only he can see. He has one friend who doesn't treat him very well and so he uses social media to try and make new friends, but things don't go as planned.
Each voice has its own personality, like violence and paranoia. I loved the toy that was obsessed with sex! He was hilarious. There is a lot of swearing and offensive insults that might make some people cringe in polite company, but my boyfriend and I laughed all the way through and all the language feels justified because it fits within the context of the film.
There is a psychological aspect to the film because at times the voices become mixed and its unclear what is real or just in the main character's head. It made me feel sorry for the guy and impressed upon me what it must be like to hear voices, let alone be ostracised for having the affliction. But in the midst of it all I was forced into guilty laughter at what was being said.
It is one of those films that you have to watch more than once as there is so much humour and so many things going on, I could tell there were jokes hidden in the background and I sometimes missed jokes because he was laughing.
The film itself has got charm because it doesn't have a mainstream feel and, although it is apparently low-budget, it doesn't feel cheap. I didn't recognise any of the actors but they are all really good. I love the girl who is obsessed with her social media page and "film career". Her YouTube audition for a low-budget gangster film made me laugh. It has some great shots and the script is funny and original.
A funny film to watch from the outside, but I definitely wouldn't want those voices in my head! 8/10
Most offensive film I've seen in a long time!
mikelonnegan1 December 2016
I want to try and be fair when writing this review so I'm not just going to berate this film completely because, to be honest, it doesn't deserve that.
With a day off work sick today I've been catching up on the films I've recorded and this one was on London Live a couple of months ago and it sounded different - a bloke with schizophrenia has to fight the voices he hears and social media to make a new friend.
The good: the acting was good, the main guy held the whole thing together well. I could watch the blonde actress for hours on end. It looked good. And it actually made me laugh quite a few times - the way they made fun of social media and the people on it was clever.
The bad: It's quite short. Less than an hour and a half. Not always bad, I guess.
The ugly: THE LANGUAGE! It's not just the swearing (I'm not a prude!) but all the insults that get thrown out by the nastiest of the voices... I couldn't believe it was allowed on TV. Talk about politically incorrect! I'm not easily offended, but wow.
Don't sit and watch it with your kids!
With a day off work sick today I've been catching up on the films I've recorded and this one was on London Live a couple of months ago and it sounded different - a bloke with schizophrenia has to fight the voices he hears and social media to make a new friend.
The good: the acting was good, the main guy held the whole thing together well. I could watch the blonde actress for hours on end. It looked good. And it actually made me laugh quite a few times - the way they made fun of social media and the people on it was clever.
The bad: It's quite short. Less than an hour and a half. Not always bad, I guess.
The ugly: THE LANGUAGE! It's not just the swearing (I'm not a prude!) but all the insults that get thrown out by the nastiest of the voices... I couldn't believe it was allowed on TV. Talk about politically incorrect! I'm not easily offended, but wow.
Don't sit and watch it with your kids!
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