Review: ‘The Signal’

The Signal

Cast & Crew
Mya Denton: Anessa Ramsey
Lewis Denton: AJ Bowen
Ben: Justin Welborn
Clark: Scott Poythress

Written & Directed by: David Bruckner, Jacob Gentry, Dan Bush

The city of Terminus, New Year’s Eve.
Mya is married to Lewis, but does not love him. She indulges in an adulterous relationship with Ben, a young man that promises a better life, but stays married to Lewis because breaking up is hard to do. Then the signal starts interrupting television transmission, radio waves, phone lines, computers. As with Mya’s relationships, all communication has broken down and given way to deception and suspicion. The signal is driving people to horrific violence, murder.

The film is written and directed by three different people, all in charge of one aspect, or “transmission,† of the story. It is no surprise to find out that this film was originally conceived as an experimental film, seeing how most experimental film often indulges in cinematic gimmicks such as this. The gimmick works here, though, never sacrificing form for function. There is a story here, and the filmmakers tell it well.

“The Signal† is a trick, a mask. It sets out to purposely confuse its audience, and it does so to a marvelous degree.

Some will go to see “The Signal† and watch a horror film. A very intense and very well made horror film.

Others will go and see a cautionary tale about love.

The story is told, like many films, from a third person limited perspective. This perspective is vitally important to understanding the mental state of its characters once they have been “exposed† to the deadly signal, which is broadcast through phones, television, radio. It heightens the tension and the emotional impact, because it lets the audience see the extent to which a character is unaware of their violent dementia. People may act crazy, but they are not aware that they are, indeed, crazy.

In a minor way, the film reminds me of Milan Kundra’s “The Hitchhiking Game,† wherein love, people’s concept of love, is tested to the nth degree. In “Hitchhiking† and “Signal,† sexual relationships become power struggles, and at the center of both we find the common dichotomy of virgin and whore. The catalyst in either story may be different, but it is love that causes a loss of identity and connection. Here is where the similarities end, however, because Kundera deals only with the emotional, the psychological. “The Signal† explores those concerns, but also adds the pillar of modern movie horror: physical violence.

The end of this film perplexes me. My initial reaction is that the ending is a happy ending, but having given it more thought, I am no longer sure that is the case. Like “The Graduate,† the ending is open to interpretation. Does love conquer all, or does it conquer our better judgment?

I recommend that you go see the film and decide for yourself.

By the way, if you’ve seen the film and think that I am reading too much into it, then consider this:

“Terminus†
In “The Signal,† the name of the city is Terminus, a Latin word that means boundary, limit, end. Terminus is also an early name for Atlanta, the city where “The Signal† was filmed. It can also refer to a terminal station, the destination point for the film’s main characters. A terminus is usually the final destination of trains, though this isn’t always the case. A terminus is also thought of as an intermediate place for a train, because the train must also leave the station to begin its journey once more, just as Mya and Ben are fated to return from whence they came.

Terminus is not a common name picked out of a hat, and was chosen by the filmmakers for a reason.