The Quiet

The Quiet (Toronto Film Festival Cut) Mr. Black's Grade: B Starring Edie Falco, Elisha Cuthbert, and Shawn Ashmore.

Directed by Jamie Babbit, who is apparently known for lighter TV fare. She has thrown that out the window with The Quiet. Dot (Camilla Belle), a deaf orphan girl, is sent to live with a wholesome foster family, but soon realizes all is not cop-acetic.

Something about this film really hit me. It is a very dark and adult tale set in any town USA. You would find me to be a quiet guy generally, and I like to listen to folks have to say. When you pay attention, people will tell you the most amazing things. 'Dot' certainly goes through that in this film. This is a story about teenagers, and it is appealing that they act that way, saying stupid things and not being 'wise' beyond their years.

The film captured High School for me to a tee, and featured nice pacing and a better than expected performance from the ever-so-lovely Elisha Cuthbert. Some folks may get completely turned off by the subject material, since this is very dark, depressing and very adult material. But for some reason the 'Dot' character really got me...

The power of silence is so powerful. Because she attracts people to constantly expose the secrets and privacy that cannot be released from the depths of their hearts. As if it were a container that can safely store secrets. And once the silence is absent, people will be panicked with birds and beasts, as thin as a bowed bird. This is also human nature. However, when the secret carried exceeds the critical point, peace and calm will be quickly disintegrated

Go watch "The Quiet"! Quickly! I can't get over what a good film it is – what a surprise! After watching The Quiet, I checked out its many awful critic reviews, then looked at it on the good old IMDb. Another surprise - it pretty much has nothing but raving user reviews – the People have spoken. I'm inclined to agree, as I picked the film up because I heard it was a thriller about normal people's dark, guilty secrets, which is always fun! I didn't really know much about the actual plot, and so, late last night, when I bunged it on the DVD with the idea of watching ten or so minutes before bed, I found that I couldn't stop watching it. I felt *compelled* to watch, even when the film was plumbing it's darkest depths and I was hanging over the edge of my seat feeling at my most unsettled and muttering to myself things like "mad" and "off key". If you don't already know what happens, I assure you, you will be completely surprised. The subject matter is one of those ones that some people think should never be dramatised, and it definitely *does* leave you unsettled (catch the scene where Nina confides her plan to Dot in the cafeteria – disturbing!), but I would say it will stick in my head, as apart from the twists, and the intense construction of suspense, the characters, who all start out as unsympathetic, go through such brilliantly contrived arcs, that you find yourself empathising with even the most evil. The two main characters are wicked – Elisha Cuthbert from 24 packs a stirring punch as the popular cheerleader from Hell with an unbelievable dark side and a complex set of issues, while Camille Bell puts in a career topping turn as not-so-deaf Dot, keeper of everyone's secrets – and work really well together. You also may find yourself laughing nervously a certain points and feeling bad for doing so, but that just means that the makers have provoked a reaction… Basically, I totally got more than I expected and I would recommend The Quiet to most people as shocking but compelling viewing! But, *don't* watch if you can't stand a film that makes you a bit uncomfortable, or one that makes you feel kinda guilty for liking it!

What would you do if you had a friend who supposedly is deaf and cannot speak? Would you confide your darkest secrets? Especially when you have to get it out, but fear being outed? I think in some ways we wish we could all do this since we have so much bottled up inside us, that's why I rented The Quiet, I didn't realize how dark this movie truly was until I saw it with my friend today. This story was so disturbing and horrific in my opinion, even though I'm not sure it's within my tastes, but it actually was a pretty well made movie.

Dot is a deaf teenager who has just been adopted by her godparents, she also cannot speak, she is the outcast at school, and lost her parents at a young age. Nina is the parent's daughter who is very popular and has a very dark secret with her "daddy". When Nina spots Dot playing the piano, Dot has a secret of her own that just might out what is happening in their family.

The Quiet is a very interesting plot that I found to be unique and pretty good. The acting is alright, I was surprised by how well the film worked and how well directed it was. I think the thing is though, it's one of those movies you can only see once, you'll see what I mean, because it touches bases you'd never think where a movie would go, you know? But I think we all need those type of movies every once in a while.

7/10

The deaf and dumb teenager Dot (Camilla Belle) is adopted by the Deer family after the death of her father in an accident, and her seventeen year-old stepsister Nina (Elisha Cuthbert) gives a cold treatment to her, humiliating Dot in the high-school and at home. Nina's mother Olivia (Edie Falco), who is addicted in pills, was a close friend of Dot's mother and her husband Paul (Martin Donovan) is a successful architect. While living with the Deers, the invisible Nina discovers that they are actually a dysfunctional family with a dark secret that approaches her to Nina that also has discovered that Dot has a hidden secret.

The classy and erotic "The Quiet" was a great surprise for me, with a dense and solid drama about an unpleasant theme – incest – that is unusual in American movies. Camilla Belle, Elisha Cuthbert, Martin Donovan and Edie Falco give top-notch performances, and the talented actress and pianist Camilla Belle is responsible for part of the stylish music score, playing Beethoven on the piano. The powerful story about invisibility and secrets may be controversial or polemic for many viewers, disturbing for others, but never disappointing. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Preço do Silêncio" ("The Price of the Silence")