’32 Sounds’ Review: Sam Green Crafts a Documentary the Likes of Which You’ve Never Heard Before

variety.com:

Peter Debruge Chief Film CriticHumans have five senses, whereas cinema is limited to just two, sight and sound. We often hear how movies are a visual medium, but what about the other, invisible half?

Filmmaker Sam Green (“The Weather Underground”) wants to get audiences thinking with their ears as much as their eyes, constructing an immersive, audio-driven essay film that focuses our attention on sound: how it works, what it can do and the way that specific noises can either unlock memories or spark entirely new ones.Full to bursting with humor, emotion and curiosity, “32 Sounds” is a uniquely mind-expanding plunge into a dimension of the human experience so many of us take for granted, a rare and rewarding sonic journey with the potential to enrich our lives. “Enrich our lives!?” I can practically hear you asking.

If that sounds like too grandiose a goal, consider this: Unless you’re a musician, audio engineer or otolaryngologist (ears, nose and throat doctor), chances are, you don’t spend much of your time reflecting on the miracle of sound.

But you’ll almost certainly come to appreciate it differently after seeing … er, hearing “32 Sounds,” meticulously constructed as it is to pair relevant, enlightening visuals to a philosophical inquiry into all things audio.