The Quiet (2005)

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.

Director:

Jamie Babbit

Writers:

Abdi Nazemian, Micah Schraft

Stars:

Elisha Cuthbert, Camilla Belle, Edie Falco

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Following the death of her father, a teenage Dot moves into the home of her godparents and their teenage daughter Nina. Dot arrives wrapped up in the silence of being deaf-mute. She finds a different kind of silence waiting for her in her new home, for this home is a place with a dark secret involving Nina and her father. At first, Dot and Nina seem to be polar opposites. However, they gradually realize how much they have in common. Bringing them together catalyzes a series of events in which both reveal their secrets and shed their double lives. A violent consummation almost destroys them. Yet they find hope for the future in the quiet after the storm.

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Plot Keywords:

secret | death | godparent | deaf | dysfunctional family | 

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Taglines:

Her family betrayed her trust. Now she's breaking her silence.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures Classics [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English American Sign Language

Release Date:

25 August 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dot

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$900,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$27,546 (USA) (25 August 2006)

Gross:

$381,186 (USA) (15 September 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Andrea Sperling Productions, Burnt Orange Productions, Holly Wiersma Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min 91 min (original)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Camilla Belle played many of the piano pieces. "Piano Sonata #23 Opus 57, 'Appassionata', Allegro assai" is performed by Anthony Aubrey Tobin, and "Piano Sonata #14 Opus 27, No. 2 'Moonlight', Adagio" is performed by Carrie W. Friedman. Elisha Cuthbert performed the first few notes of "Piano Sonata #19 Opus 49, No. 1, Andante" with Camilla Belle before Anthony Aubrey Tobin finished.

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Goofs

When Connor is describing Hershey PA to Dot, he tells her that they give out free M&Ms. They are a product of the M&M/Mars company, not Hershey. Hershey does in fact give out free candy but it is always a product of theirs, not the competition.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Episode dated 2 September 2006 (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Sunflower"
Written by Alan Sparhawk, Mimi Parker and Zak Sally
Performed by Low
Published by 1238 Music (BMI)
Courtesy of Kranky Records and Low
By Arrangement with Rykomusic

User Reviews

Fantastique!!

I feel most lucky this film has come to Europe thanks to DVD. I am a big fan of the show 24 and have long loved Elisha Cuthbert who doesn't play in many movies, certainly not serious ones. This is more ambitious than I was expecting from her, a very serious film indeed. Her acting is top-notch, as is the rest of the cast, who play their parts with humor and tragedy combined. Not an easy thing to do. The film shows a dark side of America and one that needs to be seen. The image of the perfect family is shattered here. The father is sick, the mother is a drug addict, the daughter cannot escape her secrets. It might sound like too much, and yet I believed every moment because I have heard about so many families like this one, who fall under the facade of their image. Yes, this reflects a world that exists and so it's an important movie. It's very nice to see young girls who are not silly and pleasing boys all the time. Bravo.