Mahil Senathirajah
All You Hear is Noise
Directed by Ned Castle, Matt Day
93 min – United States
Special Olympians brought their torch to the Metro 4 Thursday morning, bright and early at 8:30 am, for a marvelous screening of All You Hear is Noise. The documentary follows three athletes as they train for the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Dubai: Melanie Holmes, Trent Hampton and Chris Wines, each with compelling but very different personalities.
Trent is driven and bracingly unfiltered in some situations but with a near continual fount of enthusiasm. Melanie is more a gentle spirit with some emotional trepidation but still intrepid in pursuing her training. Chris is thoughtful, social and also determined. All have home and social challenges, some universal, some specific to their different cognition.
What distinguishes the film from other sports competition documentaries is that, while the triumphs and disappointments of the Olympics in Dubai are played out, the film also tells the story of what happens next, and the triumphs and disappointments when the competition has ended. Grappling with the end of identity-defining things, a common human struggle, the athletes become fully complex human beings.
And, they have wisdom to share (paraphrasing slightly): about competing with yourself and not others, setting the right expectations (“if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tress, he’ll grow up feeling stupid”) and, always, perseverance (“try to do things and, if you can’t do things, try harder).
Perhaps the quote that expresses the “otherness” that those with disabilities can feel is the source of the film’s title:
“Imagine being in a room and as soon as you disclose, you become the societal outlier. You’re there with a group of people, but you’re by yourself in a box. And then, instead of hearing voices, all you hear is noise.”
As the directors, Ned Castle and Matt Day, explained during the Q&A, they followed a philosophy of “ethnographic collaboration,” summarized as “nothing about us without us.” They actively included the athletes in the film making process, sharing edits and adjusting the portrayals based on the reality of their lived experience. The film’s lack of manipulation made it even more emotionally moving.
The Q&A was lively, with Melanie and Trent joining the directors in coming to Santa Barbara. The screening also became a community event with Special Olympians from Santa Barbara in attendance as well as their coaches and supporters.
After the screening, I asked Trent, “everyone really wants the type of joy you have inside, where does it come from?” He said, matter-of-factly, “if you worry about everything, you are not going to get anywhere.” As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, to paraphrase, “everyone is my superior in some way in that I may learn from them.” I learned a lot from Trent, Melanie, and Chris.
My friend, Jerry, is a coach with Special Olympics Santa Barbara. He sent me a clip that I play occasionally when I need a shot of unbridled joy. The story behind the clip is that it was the fall 2023 games in Fountain Valley at the end of the soccer season with athletes participating from all over Southern California.
The game decided whether Santa Barbara came in 4th or won a silver medal. It was tied through regular and extra time. And then it was 3 – 3 after penalty kicks requiring that the Santa Barbara goalie try one (goalies never do that). As you’ll see in the clip, his teammate prays, the goalie connects with the ball and, improbably, drives it into the top right corner. Then comes the unbridled joy.
The goalie, Chris Powers, was named Athlete of the Year in 2023 and received the award from Mayor Randy Rowse.
The film plays again at 2 pm on Saturday, February 10 at 2 pm at the Metro 4.
If you want to get involved or donate to the Santa Barbara Special Olympics, please contact Gina Carbajal, Regional Director:
- Phone: 805-884-1516
- Email: gcarbajal@sosc.org
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema. Learn more at sbiff.org
Really great video and write up. Lucky to have a great special olympics crew here.