Synopsis
“Two rounds of interviews took place in two cities two years apart. About fifteen people came to meet me to talk about their perception of sound. Through the telling of a personal story, each and everyone told how sound can act as a refuge in certain circumstances. " Chantal Dumas
A word from Tënk
Le Son Refuge, song as shelter. What a lovely idea. As viewers, we’re invited along for a stroll where different voices discuss and reflect on the soothing power of sound that can, at times, become a shelter: its importance, the shell it can provide, and the strength or courage it can inspire in us.
Its singular and rich form of writing is enriched by multiple tracks melding together: music, sonic leitmotifs (the trains!), intimate stories that begin, return and repeat. The film offers considerations of a “zero sound,” silences that range from invasive to exquisite, of places where sounds are reflected in our perceptions and of the paths they take through our bodies.
This creation—a documentary but not merely a documentary—examines the question of memory and the traces sound leaves behind once its last vibrations have stilled, both in the body and our memories, and pays its respects to them.
Le Son Refuge is best experienced with headphones, as you might imagine.
Jenny Cartwright
Documentarian and audio artist
