The Quiet (2005)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Jamie Babbit

Writers (WGA):

Abdi Nazemian (written by) &
Micah Schraft (written by)

Release Date:

1 September 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Isn't it time everyone hears your secrets?

Plot:

Dot (Belle), a young deaf and mute woman, is sent to live with her godparents (Falco and Donovan) and their daughter (Cuthbert). The new addition to the household realizes that everything is not copacetic in the home, and the family's dark come to light.

Plot Keywords:

Secret | Deaf | Godparent | Dysfunctional Family | High School

Cast

Elisha Cuthbert	...	Nina Deer
Camilla Belle	...	Dot
Edie Falco	...	Olivia Deer
Martin Donovan	...	Paul Deer
Shawn Ashmore	...	Connor
Katy Mixon	...	Michelle Fell
David Gallagher	...	Brian
Shannon Woodward	...	Fiona
Maria Cash	...	Mrs. Feltswatter
Jo Baker	...	Myrna
Steve Uzzell	...	Mr. Piln
Ken Thomas	...	Officer Jim
Rudy Costa	...	Police Officer
Myrna Cabello	...	Waitress
Diane Quest	...	Newscaster #1

Also Known As:

Dot (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong and disturbing sexual content, a scene of violence, language, drug content and brief nudity.

Runtime:

96 min | 91 min (original version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | American Sign Language

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:14A (Manitoba) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | UK:18 | Argentina:16 | Singapore:M18 | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-15 | USA:R (certificate #42103) | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Bowie High School - 4103 W. Slaughter Lane, Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Andrea Sperling Productions

Trivia:

This is the second movie in which Martin Donovan has played an architect with a dark side. In 1998's Heaven, he was a compulsive boozer and gambler who practiced architecture in between.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Dot and Nina arrive at the dance and Nina leaves to smoke you can see the backpack on Dot's back. When Conner comes up to Dot to talk to her the back pack is gone. In the next shot, it is back.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dot: All I wanted was to be invisible.

Movie Connections:

References Girls Gone Wild (1998) (V)

Soundtrack:

Piano Sonata #14 Opus 27, No. 2 'Moonlight', Adagio

Mr. Black's Grade: B.

The Quiet (Toronto Film Festival Cut) Mr. Black's Grade: B Starring Edie Falco, Elisha Cuthbert, and Shawn Ashmore.

Directed by Jamie Babbit, who is apparently known for lighter TV fare. She has thrown that out the window with The Quiet. Dot (Camilla Belle), a deaf orphan girl, is sent to live with a wholesome foster family, but soon realizes all is not cop-acetic.

Something about this film really hit me. It is a very dark and adult tale set in any town USA. You would find me to be a quiet guy generally, and I like to listen to folks have to say. When you pay attention, people will tell you the most amazing things. 'Dot' certainly goes through that in this film. This is a story about teenagers, and it is appealing that they act that way, saying stupid things and not being 'wise' beyond their years.

The film captured High School for me to a tee, and featured nice pacing and a better than expected performance from the ever-so-lovely Elisha Cuthbert. Some folks may get completely turned off by the subject material, since this is very dark, depressing and very adult material. But for some reason the 'Dot' character really got me...