The Silence

I can usually find something to like about a movie. Not this time. After 20 minutes, I knew I hated this movie. Boring, boring, boring. Even the love making scenes were boring. I continued to watch thinking something has to happen. I had his obsession with the photos figured out early on but watched on as they peeled layers away ever so slowly. Watching paint dry would have been more exciting. Just don't torture yourself.

I've seen hundreds of movies in my life. As films go, this one had an interesting plot that unwound very slowly. Very. But there was also a peculiarity that once I noticed it, I couldn't unnotice it. No one, and I mean no one, in this movie ever made use of a comb or hairbrush. Every character's hair, male and female, looked like they just rolled out of bed. It was so weird, that I found myself distracted from the plot. Indifference to one's appearance can tell you something about a person. Not in this movie. Cop, killer, victim, doctor, et al, were all apparently caught in the same never ending windstorm.

This definitely is not a movie for a film festival - shows how lousy the board at the Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF) are. The synopsis for this film is very luring, but you'd be very disappointed if you're watching this at a film festival. The Australian High Commissioner made an opening speech before the screening of this show, stressing that the Australian shows picked for the SIFF are all iconic (of Australia). But this is not at all a special show, it's a CSI kind of drama, few rhetorical devices used, no artistic cinematography involved, no meaningful theme involved, therefore not a show for a film festival. I would also not recommend it for a mainstream cinema screening. This film is not exciting enough for entertainment, neither is it intellectual enough for any academically critical review, that's why the low number of reviews here. However, this is an "okay" show for home TV, if you've got nothing to do......

I've now seen this twice, and the second viewing confirmed my first impression that this is an outstanding piece of work.

Cop mysteries are so common that they need to be truly special to stand out from the dross, and this one is. Its merit probably comes primarily from the script, which is excellent. The basic plot is complex, and it is revealed very slowly, but it keeps moving steadily enough to remain comprehensible and maintain the desire to concentrate so as not to miss a vital point. The direction, editing and general production bring out the quality of the script and are excellent in themselves. The music deserves a separate pat on the back.

It's enjoyable because it makes you think. The crucial points of the plot are revealed in such a way as to make the viewer understand how the character must have felt; the situations seem real and immediate.

I can't understand why, at the time I write this, it has a rating of only 6. It's far, far better than that.

One of those Aussie gems directed by no other than Cate Shortland (Somersault, Lore, Marvel's Black Widow), whose nuance and underlying psychological drama creates a thrilling and raw experience for the audience to delve deeply into the characters journey. Produced by Jan Chapman, one of Australia's finest, and beautifully performed all round, led by the wonderful Richard Roxburgh. Highly recommended. Ten stars.