The Quiet Room

I was glad to notice a movie by Rolf de Heer in the TV guide, since I really liked his "Bad Boy Bubby". But this was a totally different movie. It's about a girl who decides not to speak to her parents anymore to get them closer together since their marriage is not what it once was. But what I really wanted to point out is the use of colors in this movie.

I didn't see it at first but there are two main colors used to indicate the mood of the people. Blue points out a very sad mood, whereas red points out the opposite, happiness. Notice the extremely red sweater the girl is suddenly wearing near the end of the movie...

This movie is GREAT! It has a very unique point of view, learning about divorce through the eyes of a child. The audience is given the ability to read the childs mind, in a sense, because she is unable to speak. Very much worth watching!!

I found a used copy of this on ebay and bought it because I saw Bad Boy Bubby (one of Rolf's earlier films) and loved it. While it was completely different, I enjoyed it just as much as I did Bubby.

I've read other users complain of how De Heer spells out everything in his films and doesn't give the viewers a chance to pick up on things for themselves... When this movie started, I felt the same way but soon got used to it and was able to look past it. The film is about a girl who decided to quit talking, but we hear narration through out the film, answering all of her parents questions, etc. More silence might have made for a better film, but it also could have made it a bit more boring. It did drag a bit as is, but the girl was great in the movie (even her stupid rhymes) and I couldn't stop watching.

Being a child of divorce, one of the fight scenes hit a little close to home. I remember feeling exactly as the girl did when it happened in my family, covering my head trying to block it out, crying etc. This movie took me right back to those times, like it or not.

I liked how none of the characters had names and also how small the cast was. The movie works because of how simple it was. I'm curious to see more of Rolf's films now, too bad none of the rental stores here carry any of his stuff.

This film is one of my favorite films of all time. Because I loved the way the girl talked in her head, she talked more like a grown person, not a 8 year old. Her humor was dry, but funny. And the way she loved her parents, even with their faults was remarkable.

The actress who played the little girl did some of the best acting I have ever seen. She hit my heartstrings. The parents were awesome too, playing out two people on the verge of a divorce. Even the babysitter was good. so all in all the acting was superb.

The director really stood out with this movie, being able to make a hard-to-shoot film look easy. My hat is off to him.

I recommend this film for a 'Thinker' movie buff.

Check out my video Session on The Quite Room on the Substack account, " Art Direction Sessions for Film".

I was first introduced to Rolf de Heer's work at an annual film festival that I attended every year in Prague. The film was called Bad Boy Bubby and I was totally blown away with everything about it. I decided in that moment I would try and see as much of the Australian director's work as I could, which brings me to another of his gems, The Quiet Room.

It tells the story from the point of view of an unnamed seven year old girl who's struggling to make sense of her parents deteriorating relationship. To cope, she remains silent, where we enter her simpleworld and gaze into the camera; for her voice reflects her inner feelings while her expressive face speaks volumes.

I read that just prior to shooting this film in the 90s that de Heer was in a jam, he needed money fast for his next month's rent. Regardless of not knowing what he'd come up with, he convinced his producers to put feelers out for funding a low budget film. He ultimately came up with enough dough to make something, but the question that kept stirring his creative juices was how to include his two young daughters, whom he desperately want to spend more time with. Well, to cast them as characters, of course!

De Heer had to get savvy with his storytelling, being his girls were amateurs and the schedule was tight. So he opted to tell a difficult story from the child's perspective, where she would take a vow of silence amid her parent's turmoil.

Shot entirely in only 2 rooms, the design elements subtly pull some aspects of the story from the outside. But logistically, de Heer was weary of choosing a "kitchen" or "living room" for these rooms both seemed appealing.. but so much of family-life centers around these spaces, he didn't want to fall into the same ol' recycled cliches... like "putting on the kettle" or "burning the dinner in the oven" or the child "sitting on the floor glued to the TV-screen".

Without the hassle of permits, extras, transport or unpredictable weather, the film was shot entirely on a small studio adjacent to de Heer's office.

The film would later go on to be selected at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.

So what 2 rooms did he choose in his small studio space? How did the 'deliberately mute' daughter-character find visual means to portray how she felt about her quarreling parents? This and certain design elements are the theme of this Session.

This film is a perfect model of what a filmmaker can pull off on a shoestring budget. Low budget does not have to mean low standards, if you think (and direct) outside the box.