Review of The Quiet (2005) by Angie M — 10 Aug 2008

The characters in this movie all seek refuge in silence, in being mum about the state of affairs in their lives, in repression, in suppression. The character of Dot is a reflection of the condition of all the characters in the movie -- she deliberately pretends to be deaf-mute, when she can hear quite clearly. Because of that, people confide in her, they curse her, insult her, and feel safe in doing so. Just like the characters are going through some issue or the other in the movie, but either pretend not to notice (deaf) or unable to speak about it (mute).

Well, that's about as much depth the movie goes into. Because what does ruin this otherwise interesting concept was a bunch of characters who are hardly consistent and a predictable plot that oscillated between being a chickflick and an edgy drama. The dysfunctional family angle has been explored several times (and better) in other movies. The director seems to bring up a character conflict only to abandon it the next moment; for e.g. Nina was angry with Dot after the murder, and two seconds later they are conspiring together. Sure, it's possible, but those very moments of change would have been crucial for the understanding of Nina as well as developing her connection with Dot. In the same manner, her bitchy friend seems to hate Dot for stealing away Connor, and then nothing. Besides, there seems to be unnecessary sexual subtext between Dot and Nina, which I thought was put there just to make it enticing or whatever. I think the director was trying to show a kinship between the two that was so strong it would bother on passionate and hence the romantic overtones, but in my opinion it felt flat. I think something more subtle and gradual would have worked better.

There were too well-developed points in the film, though. One was the dynamic between Nina and her father. It was a very realistic depiction of Nina's love-hate attitude towards her father - even though, she was messed up because of what he was doing to her, she still had this attachment to him, partly because he was both her father and sexual partner. The other point I liked was the filming of the murder scene. The "moonlight sonata" leading up to the climax, Olivia's helplessness at hearing her daughter cry, Dot committing the act -- great use of editing, cinematography and performance. Not to mention music!

Elisha Cuthbert is very convincing in the bitchy cheerleader mode; she fit right into the brattish but broken vixen persona. Camilla Belle... ah, there's a dilemma. Her role of a deaf-mute probably required her to be a little expressionless, and in some of the sequences where she is supposed to show emotion, she does it okay. But in some, she's too wooden. She looks the part, though. There are scenes where she looks really, really beautiful (even surpassing the more conventionally pretty Cuthbert). She has quite a unique beauty, which is the kind of allure I think was supposed to go for Dot. Edie Falco was great. Martin Donovan, I thought, went a little overboard with his creepiness, but I dunno if that's an issue with his acting or if the character was written that way.

It is a satisfactory movie if you're into dark, psychological drama.