White Noise

White Noise follows architect Jonathan Rivers, whose settled life unravels after his wife Anna dies in unclear circumstances. A stranger named Raymond Price claims he has picked up messages from the dead through electronic voice phenomenon, a method of finding voices and images in the static of radios, televisions and other devices. Jonathan is sceptical at first, but when he begins receiving communications that appear to come from Anna, he becomes absorbed in the practice. What starts as an attempt to stay close to his wife turns into something more dangerous, and he is warned that making contact is one thing while interfering with it is another.

The film is a British, Canadian and American co-production directed by Geoffrey Sax, released in January 2005. It was the second feature Sax directed, following his 1996 Doctor Who television film and preceding Stormbreaker and Frankie & Alice. Niall Johnson wrote the screenplay, and the cast is led by Michael Keaton as Jonathan, with Deborah Kara Unger, Chandra West, Ian McNeice, Sarah Strange and Nicholas Elia in supporting roles. Made for about 10 million dollars, it took roughly 91 million dollars worldwide, a strong return on its budget.

Audience scores are modest and closely matched: on IMDb it holds 5.5 out of 10 from around 53,000 votes, and on TMDB 5.6 out of 10 from about 900 votes. A critics' rating of 3.6 out of 10 from 144 reviews places it well below those viewer scores.