Touch the Sound

Although Touch the Sound is a documentary profile of Scottish classical percussionist Evelyn Glennie, a Grammy award-winner who is also 80% deaf, director Thomas Riedelsheimer (Rivers and Tides) initially seems bent on keeping his subject away from the audience: at least 20 minutes pass before Glennie is allowed to speak at length about her experiences and her approach to music. Instead, viewers are treated to artsy sequences designed to illustrate sonic differences, backed by amplified sounds of people walking, wheeled suitcases whirring across an airport floor, ambulance sirens wailing, droplets of water falling, etc. Rather than focusing on the work of a gifted artist, the film almost seems to at times veer into a bad parody of the silent comedy of Jacques Tati. While Glennie is a charming subject (the scenes where she's able to get a word in edgewise are priceless) full of an indefatigable spirit that she brings to both her vibrant music and her inspirational work in helping young deaf musicians learn their craft, Touch the Sound doesn't touch Glennie's greatness. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD extras include a half-hour of deleted scenes, a 23-minute “making-of” featurette, a text filmmaker biography, a bio of subject star Glennie, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a disappointing documentary.] (P. Hall)