‘White Noise’ Used an Empty Home Depot to Bring the ’80s Back to Life
Netflix’s latest blockbuster film, White Noise, promises to be a visual spectacle. A train crash causes an “airborne toxic event” that drives the fictional town of Blacksmith into a frenzy. The trailer promises a car crash and a station wagon floating down a creek to boot. But what might be the most visually stunning is the A&P Food Store, with its shelves and shelves of anything its patrons want.
Noah Baumbach, the director known for previous works including Marriage Story, was intentional with every aspect of making White Noise, including its set. Here’s what went into the creation of a supermarket from scratch, including the lengths the crew went to make the product displays look realistic.
‘White Noise’ is created to be a ‘hyper-real’ version of the ’80s
White Noise is adapted from the 1985 novel of the same name, written by postmodernist author Don Delillo. The novel comments on morbidity, academia, and consumerism in a suburban setting, among other prevailing themes. The mix of genres includes a bit of horror, satire, and a touch of absurdity. In bringing White Noise to the screen, Baumbach attempted to highlight those same ideas.
The film follows college professor Jack Gladney (Adam Driver), his wife Babette (Greta Gerwig), and their blended offspring from previously failed relationships. Don Cheadle also stars in the film as Jack’s colleague Murray. The family is consumed by their mundane lifestyle until a train crash causes potential toxic infections — launching a series of not-quite-believable events.
“White Noise is somewhat unreal; it sort of hovers above reality,” Baumbach said in an interview with Still Watching Netflix on YouTube. “With the design, we wanted to create a hyper-real feeling.”
The film’s crew used thousands of period-authentic wrappers to stock the store’s shelves
The film’s production designer, Jess Gonchor, was excited to create a heightened version of his own memories. “I knew exactly what to do because I had lived it all,” he said. Gonchor transformed an empty Home Depot warehouse into an incredibly believable supermarket. He included details down to the brightly colored sale signs on endcaps and narrow checkout lanes.
“The idea with the market was that everything is there that you could possibly want,” explained Claire Kaufman, the film’s set decorator. According to her, the crew stocked the shelves with 2,000 cans of soda, wrapped in authentic labels from the ‘80s for Tab, Pepsi Light, and more.
They also created about 500 cereal boxes, and 5,000 bags of potato chips and snack foods. “It is all those attentions to detail that make the set come to life,” Kaufman said. “It’s always so important and great when you finish a set and the cast walk on, and they really believe they’re in this place.”
The supermarket plays a significant role in the film. “The supermarket is a waiting place. It recharges us spiritually,” Cheadle’s Murray remarks to Jack as they wander the aisles together. “The supermarket in a sense is visual white noise,” Baumbach said. “It’s all these different products and all color, and it’s all kind of overwhelming.”
‘White Noise’ received mixed reviews from critics and fans
White Noise is an infamous novel deemed by many to be “unfilmable,” though Baumbach never thought so. Since debuting in theaters and streaming on Netflix at the end of 2022, it’s been met with various reviews. So far, it’s been nominated for 19 awards though many are from more minor critics associations. Driver was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance. Original music from LCD Soundsystem for the film has also earned accolades.
John Powers, a critic for NPR, wrote,“White Noise is bursting with fun things to watch. And though the story takes place in the 1980s, it tackles present day preoccupations: human-caused disaster, media saturation, drug addiction, and consumerism.”
Dhaval Roy for The Times of India praised its nonconforming genre: “White Noise is the kind of multi-layered film that will present a new perspective or gem with each viewing. If absurdism, black humor and philosophy are your thing, do catch this one.”
Other critics on Rotten Tomatoes had less favorable views. “Baumbach’s pandemic-inspired undertones resonate on that level, but it’s played in such stilted fashion as to make White Noise pretty easy to tune out,” Brian Lowry for CNN wrote. Rolling Stone said Baumbach “overreaches.”
Fans were also divided. Some were impressed with how true the film stayed to the book, while others called it an “embarrassing disservice.” Altogether, the film has averaged a 63% “fresh” score from critics but a 32% from general audiences. White Noise is streaming now on Netflix.
