The Quiet is director Jamie Babbit's (But I'm a Cheerleader) psychological thriller that takes viewers into darker places than those we are normally transported to in such films. The subject includes four types of abuse: physical, emotional, sexual and substance abuse. All the main characters have secrets and/or manipulation, and there's a lot going on in the unpredictable currents below the surface. The production has its weaknesses - there are times when the process becomes too bleak and the denouement seems unnecessarily long - but overall this is an attractive and, at times, disturbing film.
The film follows the story of Dot (Camila Belle), a deaf girl who is adopted by a family full of problems. Soon, her relationship with her sister Nina (Elisha Cuthbert) becomes unpredictable as she discovers that Dot isn't really deaf. Taking advantage of the situation, and wanting to cause an internal conflict in the other girl, Nina tells Dot that she's going to kill her father (Martin Donovan) for having abused her. Now, the young girl will have to decide to reveal her secret or stay in the shadows and let her sister's threats happen...
Babbit's second feature after the 1999 comedy " But I'm a Cheerleader," "The Quiet" was filmed in Austin, Texas in 2004, the first film by University of Texas production company Burnt Orange. Its soundtrack features songs from Bass, Cat Power, Le Tigre, and numerous Beethoven piano sonatas. Horror in productions like When a Stranger Calls and The House of Wax, respectively. The central idea of the script is very interesting. There is a fine line about right and wrong, which is poorly explored by the plot itself. It could have been an efficient psychological thriller, it turned into a dry, dramatic film, which loses more and more credibility as it develops.
First let's talk about the characters, because it's their instability that makes the movie painfully boring. As much as the plot tries to seek depth around its protagonists, even revealing that the father himself abused his daughter, we were unable to empathize with the character Nina, precisely because she is incapable and makes senseless decisions. There is a different perspective from the way we see it at the beginning and end of the film. And, unfortunately, she doesn't manage to rise in our concept. Aside from the two little girls, we have the parents, who I don't even need to comment on because it's too obvious, and lastly, Dot's friend Connor (played by Shawn Ashmore), who is basically a pervert. Great characters, isn't it? And if they can't win us over, the only salvation would be too much flexibility in the script. Something that is far from happening in this case. In fact, it's the script itself that makes all the characters unbearable.
A strength of The Quiet is that it does not explorative address the issue of incest/sexual abuse in its quest to generate tension. This is an unpleasant subject, and Babbit appreciates it. Nina is obviously confused and damaged. She attacks Dot for no reason, is disdainful of her mother, and has a love/hate relationship with her father. She fantasizes about murdering him but can't summon up the courage. She craves simple affection - after verbally abusing Dot for half the film, she snuggles up next to her one night to comfort herself after rejecting one of her father's advances. Paul suffers from self-loathing. He calls himself "sick" and wants to stop sleeping with his daughter, but he doesn't have the strength to block the compulsion. Olivia protects herself from reality with drugs, but is complicit in what is happening to her husband and daughter. Many nights when he gets out of bed she is not sleeping.
The most interesting character is Dot, and the film is presented from her point of view. His running internal monologue is unnecessary and disturbing, but other than that, the character is presented effectively. Initially, we are not sure whether Dot is deaf or not. There are clues in the way she reacts to comments from others that indicate she is not what she appears to be. After we discover her secret (this comes very early in the movie so it's not really a spoiler), the story takes a while to show how she exploits that advantage. Of course, it's not certain how others will react if they find out she can hear things she shouldn't. It's dishonest and some people, including her possible boyfriend (Shawn Ashmore), may see it as a betrayal. Nina, on the other hand, uses her knowledge of Dot's secret to manipulate the other girl.
The tone emphasizes isolation according to Dot's perspective of her place in the world. For a while, she remains aloof, but circumstances eventually force her to make a choice. Things start to come crashing down like a house of cards when a trigger triggers a series of uncontrollable events. The high school scenes are refreshing and free from the mindless, scripted interaction we usually expect from these situations. The cafeteria and classrooms are not populated by a bunch of bland stereotypes. These are real people, and when they don't like someone, they express it sarcastically and offhandedly, not exaggerating. That's how I remember high school - sometimes weird, sometimes cruel and relentless.
Both links have strong performances. Like Nina, Elisha Cuthbert captures all the emotional changes her character must endure, forcing the viewer to re-evaluate an individual who is initially unpleasant. This is an argument that Cuthbert was underutilized in 24 Hours. Sure, she's attractive, but she also has an ability the TV show never showed. Camilla Bell, who excelled in The Ballad of Jack and Rose and lost in When a Stranger Calls, does most of her work with body language and facial expressions. Edie Falco and Martin Donovan offer balanced supporting performances, lending humanity to roles that could have been one-dimensional.
The Quiet will unsettle some viewers, and this is uncertain territory for any thriller to traverse. Babbit, however, is careful in how she approaches the material, and the film's rhythms are often more than you'd expect from a heterosexual drama. However, there is an undercurrent of suspense, and while the story's trajectory makes sense in hindsight, it is not predictable. 20 minutes before completion, I wasn't sure where things were going. For those who don't mind thrillers with darker and more serious underpinnings, The Quiet is sure to delight.
The film follows the story of Dot (Camila Belle), a deaf girl who is adopted by a family full of problems. Soon, her relationship with her sister Nina (Elisha Cuthbert) becomes unpredictable as she discovers that Dot isn't really deaf. Taking advantage of the situation, and wanting to cause an internal conflict in the other girl, Nina tells Dot that she's going to kill her father (Martin Donovan) for having abused her. Now, the young girl will have to decide to reveal her secret or stay in the shadows and let her sister's threats happen...
Babbit's second feature after the 1999 comedy " But I'm a Cheerleader," "The Quiet" was filmed in Austin, Texas in 2004, the first film by University of Texas production company Burnt Orange. Its soundtrack features songs from Bass, Cat Power, Le Tigre, and numerous Beethoven piano sonatas. Horror in productions like When a Stranger Calls and The House of Wax, respectively. The central idea of the script is very interesting. There is a fine line about right and wrong, which is poorly explored by the plot itself. It could have been an efficient psychological thriller, it turned into a dry, dramatic film, which loses more and more credibility as it develops.
First let's talk about the characters, because it's their instability that makes the movie painfully boring. As much as the plot tries to seek depth around its protagonists, even revealing that the father himself abused his daughter, we were unable to empathize with the character Nina, precisely because she is incapable and makes senseless decisions. There is a different perspective from the way we see it at the beginning and end of the film. And, unfortunately, she doesn't manage to rise in our concept. Aside from the two little girls, we have the parents, who I don't even need to comment on because it's too obvious, and lastly, Dot's friend Connor (played by Shawn Ashmore), who is basically a pervert. Great characters, isn't it? And if they can't win us over, the only salvation would be too much flexibility in the script. Something that is far from happening in this case. In fact, it's the script itself that makes all the characters unbearable.
A strength of The Quiet is that it does not explorative address the issue of incest/sexual abuse in its quest to generate tension. This is an unpleasant subject, and Babbit appreciates it. Nina is obviously confused and damaged. She attacks Dot for no reason, is disdainful of her mother, and has a love/hate relationship with her father. She fantasizes about murdering him but can't summon up the courage. She craves simple affection - after verbally abusing Dot for half the film, she snuggles up next to her one night to comfort herself after rejecting one of her father's advances. Paul suffers from self-loathing. He calls himself "sick" and wants to stop sleeping with his daughter, but he doesn't have the strength to block the compulsion. Olivia protects herself from reality with drugs, but is complicit in what is happening to her husband and daughter. Many nights when he gets out of bed she is not sleeping.
The most interesting character is Dot, and the film is presented from her point of view. His running internal monologue is unnecessary and disturbing, but other than that, the character is presented effectively. Initially, we are not sure whether Dot is deaf or not. There are clues in the way she reacts to comments from others that indicate she is not what she appears to be. After we discover her secret (this comes very early in the movie so it's not really a spoiler), the story takes a while to show how she exploits that advantage. Of course, it's not certain how others will react if they find out she can hear things she shouldn't. It's dishonest and some people, including her possible boyfriend (Shawn Ashmore), may see it as a betrayal. Nina, on the other hand, uses her knowledge of Dot's secret to manipulate the other girl.
The tone emphasizes isolation according to Dot's perspective of her place in the world. For a while, she remains aloof, but circumstances eventually force her to make a choice. Things start to come crashing down like a house of cards when a trigger triggers a series of uncontrollable events. The high school scenes are refreshing and free from the mindless, scripted interaction we usually expect from these situations. The cafeteria and classrooms are not populated by a bunch of bland stereotypes. These are real people, and when they don't like someone, they express it sarcastically and offhandedly, not exaggerating. That's how I remember high school - sometimes weird, sometimes cruel and relentless.
Both links have strong performances. Like Nina, Elisha Cuthbert captures all the emotional changes her character must endure, forcing the viewer to re-evaluate an individual who is initially unpleasant. This is an argument that Cuthbert was underutilized in 24 Hours. Sure, she's attractive, but she also has an ability the TV show never showed. Camilla Bell, who excelled in The Ballad of Jack and Rose and lost in When a Stranger Calls, does most of her work with body language and facial expressions. Edie Falco and Martin Donovan offer balanced supporting performances, lending humanity to roles that could have been one-dimensional.
The Quiet will unsettle some viewers, and this is uncertain territory for any thriller to traverse. Babbit, however, is careful in how she approaches the material, and the film's rhythms are often more than you'd expect from a heterosexual drama. However, there is an undercurrent of suspense, and while the story's trajectory makes sense in hindsight, it is not predictable. 20 minutes before completion, I wasn't sure where things were going. For those who don't mind thrillers with darker and more serious underpinnings, The Quiet is sure to delight.