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.
