Review of The Quiet (2005) by Ola G — 26 Jun 2008

The deaf and mute Dot (Camilla Belle) loses her father in an accident and ends up being taken cared of by her extremely dysfunctional godparents and their daughter Nina (Elisha Cuthbert). Dot has ended up as an outcast at her new high school and she just do not feel in place anywhere. But, that is as well a part of her own decision to be more or less invisible.

Dot finds out that her Godfather has a very dysfunctional relation to his own daugther, and Nina is more than willing to make Dot very aware about this fact.

Eventually, Dot will take action to help Nina and as well reveal her own secrets..

"The Quiet" would seem at the first glance as an ordinary thriller, but that is not entirely the truth. There is something in "The Quiet" I can not really put my finger on, that makes it stand out a bit. I do believe though that Camilla Belle is part of what makes "The Quiet" more intriguing than other similar thrillers. Her ability to say so much with just her facial expressions is very noteable. Camilla Belles looks are very elegant and beautiful. Her sloping stunning eyes and sharp eyebrows gives her such a unique look. As I noticed already when I saw her in "The Chumscrubber". I reckon we will see at lot with her the upcoming years. And in "The Quiet" she steals all the scenes she is in. Elisha Cuthbert can not match her despite having plenty more dialogue than Belle.

The story itself brings light on sexual abuse within a family situation and is a heavy topic. Nevertheless, towards the end of "The Quiet" the storyline becomes more vague and vague. I think the last half hour is not entirely logic, and this is where the movie falls apart a bit. With a stronger ending and conclusion, I think "The Quiet" could have been even better.