To say that Noah Baumbach is an experimental director might undercut his talent. He has a knack for creating beautiful narratives and juxtaposing them with absurdity, while still keeping the story grounded with the help of real emotions. Whether you look at the Meyerowitz Stories or The Marriage Story, he ignites a magical spark in the audience watching his work. With a base so strong, it is not surprising that expectations are ridiculously high for his latest project, White Noise, a Netflix original film.

This film is a product of an exclusive deal signed in January 2021 between the giant streamer and writer/director Noah Baumbach. After months of anticipation, White Noise finally premiered at the 79th Venice Film Festival on August 31. Let us find out the initial reactions to the film and how it fared in the prestigious film event.

Critic reviews for Netflix’s entry to the Venice Film Festival

White Noise, a Netflix film is adapted from Don DeLillo’s 1985 National Award-holding, postmodern novel of the same name. Starring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig in lead roles, the story follows the struggles of a typical American family, navigating their mundane suburban life. This life flips upside down when a chemical leak called “The Airborne Toxic Event” forces them to deal with the apocalypse head-on. 

The initial reviews of White Noise, produced by Netflix, are nothing short of spectacular. According to The Guardian, the “film amplifies not merely the book’s richness as a period piece which speaks of the trendy zeitgeistiness of postmodernism on the American campus, but how prescient it is about the fears of the present day.” The media house even drew parallels between “The Airborne Toxic Event,” and Covid-19 in its lockdown phase. 

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The Hollywood Reporter commended the director for the flick. “There’s much to appreciate in Noah Baumbach’s alternately exhilarating and enervating attempt to tame Don DeLillo’s comedy of death,” read the reivew.

Variety, on the other hand, spoke about Don DeLillo’s book and how certain aspects of the on-screen version worked while some missed the mark. The media house wrote in its review, “As a movie, White Noise announces its themes loudly and proudly, but the trouble is that it announces them more than it makes you feel them.”

Meanwhile, the film went on to score 7.1 on IMDb and 81% on Rotten Tomatoes.

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Fan reactions to White Noise, a Netflix Original

While Venice Film Festival is an exclusive event, only a handful of film aficionados and superfans managed to catch the premiere of White Noise. While limited, the overall reaction to Noah Baumbach’s project has been incredibly positive. First The Sandman, then White Noise; Netflix seems to be on a roll with converting “unfilmable” content to brilliant live-action renditions. 

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For the majority who couldn’t attend the film festival, the film will have a theatrical release starting on November 25. White Noise’s Netflix premiere will take place on December 30.

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Were you at the premiere of the film? If yes, share your thoughts in the comments. If you couldn’t, let us know what you think about the premise of the film. In the meantime, watch Marriage Story on Netflix to appreciate Noah Baumbach’s craft as a filmmaker.