In Brando Topp’s sci-fi drama, That Alien, Sound, an alien entity called Sound drifts through space listening to Earth’s radio waves until, while Mika (Mia Danelle) is at a record shop, it enters her body. Now inhabiting her, Sound begins to explore daily life in strange ways, fumbling through ordinary tasks and causing low-key chaos amongst her friends, family, and her boyfriend, Shannon (Will Tranfo).
As Sound continues to inhabit Mika, her mother Debbie (Amy Hill) begins to worry about her daughter’s increasingly erratic actions. Debbie becomes a grounding force as she tries to understand what is happening to Mika while offering protection and guidance. Meanwhile, Sound grows more curious about human experiences, testing the limits of Mika’s body and confusing her family further.
Mika’s brother Deyo (Deyo Forteza) introduces Sound to his hard rock bandmates. They play her a song that she immediately hates. Sound then persuades Deyo to take her on a road trip with his friends to a music festival, where she hopes to use the power of music and radio signals to free herself from Mika’s body. Along the way, people begin to wonder whether Mika is simply faking her condition or if something otherworldly is truly happening.
“Sound begins to explore daily life in strange ways, fumbling through ordinary tasks and causing low-key chaos…”
I admire Brando Topp’s story structure. That Alien, Sound is one of those movies that catches up with you on the back end. Yet, the build-up is equally intriguing. The story starts as your standard alien possession story, and a lot of the time is spent exploring all the aliens’ first-time experiences. Then it shifts to the notion that maybe there’s something wrong with Mika. Maybe she’s trying to avoid the responsibilities of the world, particularly her relationship with Shannon, who loves her dearly.
Writer/director Topp succeeds in keeping his audience off balance. Mika’s family and friends want to support her, but there comes a point of frustration when it feels like they’re just humoring Mika during this existential crisis.
Then there’s the ending, which I can’t spoil, but it takes an unexpected turn. Ultimately, That Alien, Sound explores what it means to be human, to interact with the world around us, and the values of relationships with our friends and family. As Sound, Mia Danelle is the perfect conduit. At first, I’m thinking, “Oh god, she’s nuts.” Then you see clearly where the tale is taking us. In the end, there’s a sweet indie message for all of us.
"…there's a sweet indie message for all of us."
