Faye&Lexi: Authentic Teen Angst with Filmmaker Olivia Lige Wuri

Written by Tom White

Rebel Without a Cause. Quadrophenia. The Breakfast Club. Each generation has its own identity for teenage rebellion and angst but what does it sound like? We’re not talking about the soundtrack but rather the actual sound of this turbulent age in a film. Olivia Lige Wuri knows.

As the sound engineer of the film Faye&Lexi, Olivia captured the manner in which being a teenage girl in present day is both unique and resonates throughout the ages. The audible landscape of this film is an ideal presentation of what the emotional state of this period of one’s life sounds like. The way in which our inner feelings color our perception of events and people is profound. Included in the prestigious 25th Beverly Hills Film Festival this April (marking its third screening at the iconic TCL Chinese Theater), Faye&Lexi is also an official selection of the Culver City Film Festival, Silicon Beach Film Festival, Golden State Film Festival, Marina Del Rey Film Festival, Glendale International Film Festival, and others. 

Faye (actress Maya Haughawout) is the girl that most of us would probably identify with; not too confident, not too pretty, not too popular, and anxious about all of these things. She goes home to an overly protective father who is angry that Faye’s mother has abandoned them. This lack of stability fosters insecurity and makes Faye an easy target for the bullies at her all-girls private school. That is, until she is inspired by the new girl; an openly rebellious blonde (actress Niah Andino) named Lexi who openly shirks the status quo. There’s a subtle bond that emerges between these two girls which is mostly unspoken until the climax of the film where we understand that the “victim” and the “rebel” often both reside in each of us, and it is our choice to embrace or stifle them. 

The sounds of this film and the feelings they elicit extend much further than simply clarity of dialogue. Only with deep inspection and dissection can one comprehend the numerous components that congeal so effectively in Olivia’s approach. For example, the paper throwing sound and book flipping in the first scene, and the sound of food stirring and forks clicking from the second scene are the product of foley which doubled the original sounds to maximize the sense of isolation and loneliness in Faye’s world where there is an inversion of what might typically be most prominent and the less obvious. In a courtyard scene as we “hear” the thoughts of Faye and Lexi, the subtle elements like wind noises and students passing by are juxtaposed with the mental dialogue of these two girls. The vacillating balance between these elements establishes how their attention to each other makes the outside world become quieter. In one particularly uncomfortable scene where Faye’s father destroys her miniskirt, the insertion of dark low frequencies, heavy air with rhythm, and a low pulse makes the room darker and oppresive. The dichotomy of the moment is established with an old comedy program playing on the television during this scene. Throughout this all, we comprehend what is important to Faye and what she recoils against. The construct of the dialogue and sound design is immensely important in achieving a transference of how Faye feels. 

Written, edited, and produced by Olivia Lige Wuri, Faye&Lexi is illumating to the perspective of a young woman. While she wore many hats on this production, Olivia stipulates that the world of sound is where her heart is most invested. She revels in its ability to solve problems and test her abilities.

She reveals, “Among all the sound aspects, my favorite is background sound. Background sound elements can create various feelings and vibes to the scene in a very subtle but effective way. In post for this film, we had issues with the locker room scene. It wasn’t clear enough that this particular scene was taking place after PE class in the school. It was very important that the audience understood the location but it wasn’t quite clear. At first, we tried to insert a bell ringing sound to indicate that the class was over but we didn’t have enough footage for the bell ring and the sound effects felt too abrupt and intentional. As a solution, I edited kids swimming in the pool as the main background to make it far and genuine. I also added water splashing and the sounds of students talking to make it convincing. In the end, the scene turned into an after-swimming class scene, which made more sense story wise. Not only was the location and time established through sound, but it also indicated the motivation of them changing clothes which leads to the stealing of the mini skirt. You can reinvent a scene to make it better just through your choices with sound and I find this to be so exciting!”

Photo Credit: Faye & Lexi