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The Quiet [2006]


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Disturbing drama
Review date: 2007-07-19 Rating: 8 out of 10

I watched this film on the strength of other reviews.....pleased I did.
It is a dark and disturbing drama of a seriously dysfunctional but wealthy American family who 'take in' a deaf/mute young lady and bring her into their arms.....sort of!
Well acted,atmospheric and very,very disturbing.
Highly recommended.

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A Bleak, Intoxicating Drama
Review date: 2007-07-02 Rating: 8 out of 10

The dark inner workings of an idyllic suburban neighbourhood is a topic regularly explored in present day cinema. Whether its via the Academy Award Winning "American Beauty" or more disposable efforts like 2007's "The Chumscrubber" (which also starred this film's lead, Camilla Belle), the subject is present in a good few pictures per year. Whether the end result is always as satisfying as we'd hope is another story. Fact is, most operate the same basic premise -- this is once you subtract there individual sub-plots -- and too many end with sensationalism. In steps "The Quiet", a thoroughly unsettling drama that grips the viewer by the throat and refuses to release them until the closing credits, and we have another to add to the list of successes in the oft-utilised subgenre. That isn't to say that this movie is perfect, but it certainly doesn't deserve the sort of disdainful reviews that it has received since its release here and in its native US. In this film fan's opinion, "The Quiet" is one of the most intoxicating movies of the year, reminding of 2006's best picture "Hard Candy" in its masterful use of the power of suggestion. At the same time, the movie offers up an intriguing duo of character studies that steer clear of easy answers and trite solutions, a harrowing final act and succeeds in being an altogether gripping piece of cinema well worth viewing.

The Deer family are a dysfunctional family that have grown disconnected and resentful of each other. Beyond that, they harbour dark and disturbing secrets which they make no attempts to hide from newly-adopted Dot (Camilla Belle). A deaf-mute taken in by her godmother's family, Dot observes the goings-on in the Deer household silently. Resentful and disdainful of her new stepsister is teenage cheerleader Nina (Elisha Cuthbert), popping pills on a regular basis is the aforementioned mother Olivia (Edie Falco) and lecherous father Paul (Martin Donovan) sneaks into his own daughter's, Nina, bedroom at night to have sex with her. All this Dot quietly observes. Of course, when Nina begins to suspect that Dot may be hiding some secrets of her own she confesses another of hers. Nina is planning to kill her incestuous father and, provided whether she can truly hear what those around her are saying or not, Dot is the only one that can prevent said murder.

Front and centre throughout are the two young, talented actresses Camilla Belle and Elisha Cuthbert. The plot synopsis on the back of the DVD would have you believe that the movie is all about Nina, but in truth more of the action hinges on Camilla Belle's Dot and her own personal journey. Dot may or may not be deaf, an idea brought into question reasonably early into proceedings, and Belle communicates this brilliant, thus causing the audience to become gripped in anticipation of the final reveal. That isn't the only are where Belle excels though, her whole performance is note-perfect. Conveying a variety of emotion while not actually speaking (other than through her regular narration) Belle's performance cannot be criticised. Also great is Elisha Cuthbert, as a troubled teenager not quite sure whether she's actually enjoying her father's abuse or not, and not quite sure whether she should be more understanding and kindhearted to new stepsister Dot. Cuthbert's Nina is inconsistent and confused, something Cuthbert gets across extremely well. Whether or not she matches up to Belle is another thing, but she comes close enough to warrant particular mention.

In key supporting turns as sick father Paul, a man who knows he's doing wrong but hasn't the will power to stop himself, and as understanding jock Connor, who forms a close bond with Dot, Martin Donovan and Shawn Ashmore do great in their supporting roles. Donovan plays the creepy Paul superbly, making him detestable enough in his actions while bringing a more humanistic tone signifying two-facedness in a fitting way. Paul is a nasty man, alright, and his hang-ups are presented as the afterthoughts they ultimately are. As Dot's potential love interest Connor, Shawn Ashmore is likeable and welcome in a supporting role surprisingly pivotal in the third act. Elsewehere, Edie Falco is fantastic as pill-popping Olivia, a woman medicating herself because she realises her marriage to be dead and is devastated by the knowledge that her husband would rather sleep with their daughter Nina than be intimate with his own wife. The role isn't perhaps written with the attention and depth that it warrants, but Falco nevertheless elevates the part.

"The Quiet" hinges as much on character nuances as it does on plot developments. Whether or not Dot is death, whether Nina can bring herself to murder her own father -- who she loves but is unsurpringly hateful of --, whether Dot and Connor will wind up being together and whether the family continue to keep their secrets to themselves or not are all plot-points worth sticking around for, with the end results immense concerns once screenwriters Abdi Nazemian and Micah Schraft succeed in making one interested in the characters. Such character nuances and their reactions to the climactic developments are intriguing elements that encourage one to stick around.

Directed with style and fitting creepiness by Jamie Babbit, "The Quiet" is a meticulously constructed drama overcoming its few negatives with many more positives that serve to make it one of the most valuable entries of the year thus far. Babbit maintains the same tone to the movie throughout the entire 91-minute running time, creating a feel of forebode and uneasiness that fits the movie itself like a glove. Whether or not the moralistic implications of the closing minutes are questionable is another subject, with the idea that a resolution to one big collective problem might well be violence obviously not ringing true. Whether or not such a suggestion was intentional is besides the point, that seems to be the general feeling created by said minutes, inadvertent or otherwise.

A fascinating and uncompromising movie refusing to shy away from the ugliness of the human psyche while embracing the realism of the many modern day sub-societies, "The Quiet" is a complex but bleak look at the way in which we as a people can sometimes struggle to communicate. In the end, a barrier for some of the characters is broken, to a point. That audiences will be left asking questions afterwards is likely, but this isn't because the movie is confusing or muddled in any way. Instead, its because it raises plenty of issues we ourselves may well face in our own lives. Such a connection to reality amidst a wholly farfetched motion picture such as this is welcome but no less surprising.

"The Quiet" is one of those movies deserving of more recognition than it has received. Clever and innovative, the movie goes in directions few others would dare to tread. When so many films of its nature these days go for easy routes and answers it is undeniably refreshing to see something as daring as this. A little gem of a movie, "The Quiet" is well worth watching.

Quiet Desperation
Review date: 2007-06-30 Rating: 6 out of 10

"Nina Deer's life is infused with sex. At school, she is attached at the hip to her best friend Michelle, a girl who is seemingly unable to talk about anyone without announcing that she wants to "f*ck him," or demanding that know if Nina thinks he wants to do the same to her. At home, meanwhile, it's clear that Nina is being sexually abused by her father, a fact that dominates virtually every moment of her life. With Michelle, she plays the part of the easily-shocked, virginal friend." Martha Fischer

Dot, who is played by Camilla Belle, father dies, and she's left alone and sent to live with her godparents and their only child, Nina. Dot is deaf like her father, and also refuses to speak, and communicates through sign language and lip-reading. Nina is everything Dot isn't, she is blonde and popular. Her new sister is a nightmare. Not only will Dot not speak, but she is uninterested in engaging in the school structure. She wants to be alone, and is turned off by the mad rush around her. As she explains in a voice over, Dot is completely whole only when alone. Nina treats Dot with the same disgust with which she views both her parents and herself. Her father is sexually abusing her, and her mother, played by Edie Falco, is popping pills. Edie Falco does not need to take these kind of roles, she was sleepwalking throughout the film. It's not long before the silent girl becomes her confidant. Nina whispers sexually explicit stories in the middle of the school cafeteria, unburdening herself. "Telling Dot, she reasons, is like screaming herself raw in an empty room: No on hears but she feels better, if only for a moment." The tragedy of the film is that everything about the movie is slightly awry, and I was left with flat emotion.

"At times, it's difficult to watch The Quiet, because a group of actors are giving their all -- albeit entirely unsuccessfully -- to a small, possibly controversial film in which they clearly believe. Over and over again, I was reminded of the Bruce Willis disaster Color of Night, another film whose emotional power over its audience was horrendously overestimated by its creators. While The Quiet is by no means as bad as Color of Night, it shares with that film a tremendous seriousness about its own purpose, and a tragic misunderstanding of its relationship with an audience that, more often than not, is left laughing when it should be gasping." Susan Reid

I tried to find some redeeming qaulity in this film. "The Quiet" is a film that has been done before, and this film shows us that there is a fine line at times between a great film and one that tries too hard.

Recommended Warily. prisrob 6-25-07



Shock & Awe
Review date: 2007-04-18 Rating: 10 out of 10

Well, where do I start...
I'd begin with saying the one and only reason I chose this film was because Elisha Cuthbert is in it. After watching the light hearted comedy "The Girl Next Door" which Elisha also appears in I thought that The Quiet would be similar. So knowing nothing about it and not even bothering to read the description I went ahead and got it. How wrong could I have been and what a film it was. This film has left me in a frame of mind I can only describe as lost and has taken me through a whole range of emotions while keeping me gripping for the next scene the whole way through. The subject matter is dark to say the least however the way it has been produced in my opinion is fantastic. Its the type of film that leaves your mind in a mess and leaves you contemplating it in a silent empty state afterwards.
Well worth watching!


Challenging...but interesting
Review date: 2007-01-14 Rating: 6 out of 10

I was unsure about the pacing in this - it's a teen/family drama with dark shades of a Heathers type work - and while I don't see it's in that league it *is* quite a good work. Great performances, and some chilling moments, but could have lost 10 minutes in editing.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Shawn Ashmore
Elisha Cuthbert
Camilla Belle
Edie Falco
Martin Donovan

Creators:
Camilla Belle (Primary Contributor)
Elisha Cuthbert (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
EAN: 5035822237131
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL,
Release date: 2007-03-12
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 97 minutes
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: French (Dubbed)
Language: Spanish (Dubbed)
Language: Italian (Dubbed)

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