Whistle

While some would typically write off whistling as an obnoxious or shrill form of music-making, Christopher Nelius’ fascinating documentary gets a terrific tune out of the competitive world of whistlers to uncover a community of devoted musical talents, all with something to prove to their peers and themselves.

Pitched somewhere between Christopher Guest’s Best in Show and a quirky tournament doco, Whistle assembles an assortment of the weird and the wonderful global figures of competitive musical whistling, who perform classical and contemporary numbers with finesse and note-perfect synchronisation.

With many of the finalists armed with compelling expository journeys of how they got to the top of their craft, Nelius carefully probes the inner landscapes and private motivations that steer people towards such a fringe pursuit, while delivering a seriously enlightening look into the art of whistling as a musical vocal technique.

It all adds up to a captivating and inspiring portrait of musicians at their best and a timely reminder that in the creeping era of soulless artificial intelligence, nothing feels more vital and profoundly human than raw artistry guided by a breath, a mouth and a need to express yourself.

- Cho Jinseok