IFC Films has picked up the U.S. rights to “The Sound of Silence” starring Peter Sarsgaard and Rashida Jones, the company announced Tuesday.
“The Sound of Silence,” the debut feature from Michael Tyburski, premiered at 2019’s Sundance Film Festival as part of the U.S. Dramatic competition. IFC will release the film theatrically later in 2019.
Tyburski co-wrote the film with Ben Nabors, who together wrote the short film “Palimpsest” from 2013 that won the Special Jury Award from Sundance that year.
“The Sound of Silence” follows a self-taught scientist, Peter (Sarsgaard), working in New York City as a “house tuner”–a unique, highly specialized profession he’s invented. His clients approach him with troubles like depression, anxiety, or fatigue. After extensive analysis of their homes’ acoustic characteristics, he identifies some sonic combination that’s altering their mood –a radiator mixed with a kitchen appliance, for instance– and is able to calibrate it. But following a routine house call where he meets Ellen (Jones), who is experiencing exhaustion, Peter obsessively searches for the fault in his practice after his initial conclusion proves incorrect.
Tony Revolori and Austin Pendleton co-star in the film. Nabors, Michael Prall, Anonymous Content’s Tariq Merhab and Charlie Scully, and Keshet Films’ Mandy Tagger Brockey and Adi Ezroni produced.
“We’re thrilled to be able to work with extraordinary new voices like writer/director Michael Tyburski. There is a quiet brilliance to this film that we believe will translate widely and loudly to audiences across the U.S,” Arianna Bocco EVP of Acquisitions and Productions of IFC Films said in a statement.
“This movie has been years in the making, so I’m very excited for audiences to finally be able to both see and hear it theatrically. And I am humbled to work with the trusted team at IFC Films on the release – who have an absolutely incredible track record for curating some of the finest works in the independent scene,” Tyburski said in a statement.
TheWrap spoke with Tyburski, Sarsgaard and Revolori about the film at Sundance. While the profession of Sarsgaard’s character in the film doesn’t actually exist, Sarsgaard was in part inspired by a story of a piano tuner who had to work completely nude in order to hear the subtle distinctions in pitch. Watch the full video above.
The deal for the film was negotiated by Arianna Bocco and UTA on behalf of the filmmakers.