When Time Got Louder | Review by: Stefano Bove
When Time Got Louder is a story about a family struggling to take proper care of their Autistic, non-verbal son named Kayden. Through their retelling, it seems life with Kayden was managed well until their daughter, Abbie went off to college in California. This throws off the family dynamic and the whole family feels the loss of Abbie, especially Kayden. In the present, the family is distraught as something unknown happened to Kayden which leads them to be interrogated by a social worker to get to the root of the issue. As the story is told to the social worker, we see how their parents deal with not having Abbie around to care for Kayden until the story inevitably gets to the present time.
Parents Tish and Mark, played by Elizabeth Mitchell and Lochlyn Munro take life day by day as everyone is adjusting to their new life structure without Abbie. Both are not only fantastic in their roles but have a constant look of defeat in their eyes throughout the movie which is really hard to pull off. Kayden is played by Johnathan Simao who brings such a raw and powerful performance to the role. Being on the spectrum himself, he has stated in many interviews that he put everything in this role and it shows. Finishing off the family dynamic is Abbie played by Willow Shields. She also has a standout performance as she carries the weight of the whole family on her shoulders. She has taken care of Kayden for her whole life and constantly feels guilty about living her own life in college while Kayden needs her attention.
The tone change between Abbie's school life in California and her families struggle to care for Kayden without her is the toughest part of the film. The ominous music in every scene with her parents really brings you down and instantly makes me feel anxious in their constant arguing and uncertainty.
When Time Got Louder puts all of its characters in really difficult situations that require difficult choices. Everyone must make decisions that best suit their needs and the rest of the family. When you are at a crossroads between two extreme choices, it always seems like you are making the wrong one. Each of our leads deals with this in their own way which makes for a really strong narrative.
3.5/5
Review by: Stefano Bove
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