Soundwave

A nifty, effective, low-budget sci-fi movie, this imaginative effort features decent acting, simple but clever visuals, and a likable teen superhero-type vibe, though it could have gone even deeper. Written and directed by Dylan K. Narang, Soundwave has enough plucky energy to overcome the shaky science behind Ben's machine. It's believable that sound waves continue to bounce around forever, but entering a date and a time into the device is a bit of a stretch. Happily, Narang is more interested in the repercussions of such a machine: how it might feel to those who use it.

When the machine is actually being used, Narang employs a great, cost-saving device: reducing the action to a series of stills with enhanced color, like comic book panels. The dialogue in Soundwave is naturalistic, and all the performers are game in portraying characters with painful pasts. As they try to connect with one another, these walking wounded souls are effortlessly appealing. Ben is especially touching, hiding behind his homemade headphones -- he's able to listen more easily than speak. But he's also streetwise, and he seems smart enough to know when trouble is coming. He might make a pretty good superhero.