The sequence starts when T.J. calls Nicole. She is not answering the phone, so T.J. decides to visit her. When he gets to her place, he finds her and his friend Hesher having sex. No wonder, that he gets mad. He screams “NO”, throws a lamp at the door and walks out.

Than he smashes Hesher’s car and when Hesher and Nicole come out from the apartment, T.J. starts yelling at them. After that, he takes his bike and rides away. On the way home, it starts to rain.

The whole sequence is viewed from T.J.’s point of view (POV). This creates an amazing opportunity for sound designers, because in POV sequences, you can do almost anything with the sound and it will be justifiable, because we can explain it with: “That’s what the character hears.” And what the character hears doesn’t have to be based on reality, it can be based on his inner feelings and emotions.  That is why POV sequences are such a great opportunity for sound designers.

After T.J. finds out, that Nicole is having sex with his friend Hesher, you’ll start hearing all sorts of uneasy sounds, describing T.J.’s inner feelings. One of those sounds are thunders and lightnings. The whole sequence is happening during a sunny day, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense to hear those sounds (thunders and lightnings), but since this is from T.J.’s POV, hearing those sounds is completely justifiable. They describe how he feels inside –  angry and furious.

But that’s not all – the sounds of thunders and lightnings have also additional function, they work as a sound bridge to the next scene, where it starts to rain.

I don’t know if it was scripted or not, but if it was, my hats off to screenwriters! I think this is one of the best examples, where sound is used for the purpose of cinematic storytelling!