Every so often, there comes a film that makes one sit and process before having the ability to carry on even the simplest discussion on what they just watched. Masking Threshold, from writer-director Johannes Grenzfurthner and co-writer Samantha Lienhard, is one of those films. The main premise, “Conducting a series of experiments in his makeshift home lab, a skeptic IT worker tries to cure his harrowing hearing impairment,” doesn’t quite scratch the surface of what transpires.
Masking Threshold follows the unnamed protagonist, voiced by Ethan Haslam and portrayed by Grenzfurthner, as he records his thoughts, frustrations, and failures in trying to understand his severe tinnitus. What starts as mundane activity paired with an overload of auditory-related information, steadily escalates into lunacy and violence.
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Interestingly enough, the most distressing scenes are not from actual violence, save for the ending, but instead extended close-ups meant to irritate the viewers’ senses and phobias. Cinematographer Florian Hofer and Grenzfurthner are unapologetically effective in this regard, whether it’s focusing on an everyday activity, such as eating, or things that make our skin crawl, such as rodents and bodily fluids. The impressively high production value pushes the film’s realism to the next level, while also testing our sanity. Although heavy at times, the odd charm brought by the script’s dry-wit humor and excellent voice-over by Haslam adds much-needed layers.
Masking Threshold is absolutely not for a general audience, and I don’t believe it’s meant to be. Although the genre is “psychological horror,” which certainly fits, it goes beyond that and can fit into a few categories. Fans of art house, genre blends, and the unconventional will perhaps find the film as disturbingly entertaining as I did. With the amount of talent showcased across the board, Masking Threshold achieves the boundary-pushing heights it aims for, making it feel more like an actual experience.
The film is set to screen at the upcoming Sick ‘n’ Wrong film festival in Orlando, FL, and Film Maudit 2.0 in LA, with the release date TBA.
