Silence of the Heart (TV 1984)

Ken goes to kill himself at the same spot Skip did, but Skips parents show up, and talk him out of it.

Director:

Richard Michaels

Writer:

Phil Penningroth

Stars:

Mariette Hartley, Dana Hill, Howard Hesseman

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mariette Hartley	...	Barbara Lewis
Dana Hill	...	Cindy Lewis
Howard Hesseman	...	Carl Lewis
Chad Lowe	...	Skip Lewis
Silvana Gallardo	...	Alice Roberti
Elizabeth Berridge	...	Penny
Alexandra Powers	...	Andrea
Charlie Sheen	...	Ken
Ray Girardin	...	Harris
Jim Boyle	...	Public Worker
Sherilyn Fenn	...	Monica
Melissa Hayden	...	Rachel
Rad Daly	...	Basketball Player
Steve Alterman	...	Williams
Casey Siemaszko	...	Jeff

Storyline

Skip Lewis is a 16 year old, who's been through some stuff. Like he has been having academic problems, and a girl whom he has been pursuing has told him that she has no interest in him. He tries to talk to his parents about this but can't, or thinks that they won't understand. So, he goes out and drives off a cliff. Now, his family's in denial saying that the whole thing was an accident. However, his best friend, Ken who was the last person he saw before, was told by Skip that he was considering killing himself and is feeling guilty that he didn't try to stop him.

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Plot Keywords:

suicide | teen

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 October 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Il silenzio nel cuore

Filming Locations:

Monrovia High School - 845 W. Colorado Boulevard, Monrovia, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

David A. Simons Productions, Tisch/Avnet Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Jump (For My Love)"
Performed by The Pointer Sisters

User Reviews

"Did you ever tell him you loved him? I didn't!"

That great quote above is a question that was asked by Cindy Lewis, the daughter of Barbara and Carl Lewis.

Skip Lewis had been having a hard time in school. His grades are slipping and he did below par on his SAT. The most beautiful, popular girl in school just turned him down for a date, and it seems like nothing in his life is going good for him. So he decides that the only way that he can stop his pain is to commit suicide. So Skip gets his car, goes to a large hill just above the ocean, and drives full speed off of the hill without looking back.

His parents are in denial. They all think that it was an accident, and that Skip was a perfectly happy kid. But his friend Ken, and his sister Cindy know that it wasn't an accident. They saw the signs. Skip asking Ken if he were going to kill himself would he tell anyone. Skip giving Cindy his record collection. All things that they just brushed off without thinking.

This was a very good movie. I viewed it in Life Management class when we were studying suicide. The acting was very good, especially from Dana Hill. Her essay at the end of the movie titled `Silence of the Heart'. This was a time when everyone looked at suicide being done by a crazy person, which is not true. Cindy and her family had to go through people talking behind their backs, even at Skip's funeral. It shows you the warning signs of suicide, why it happens, and what we can do to prevent it. I would definitely recommend this movie. It's a TV movie true…but it still has a good message that everyone should see.