The Quiet (2005)

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 | Mute

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:

In the original draft of the script, Martin Donovan's character was an insurance salesman.

Goofs:

Continuity: While Dot is strangling Paul, some blood drops fall on the front of Nina's neck. In next shots of the strangling, the blood drops switches from the front of Nina's neck to the side then it switches back again to the front.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

References Girls Gone Wild (1998) (V)

Soundtrack:

Piano Sonata #26 Opus 81a, 'Les adieux', Adagio

Surprisingly Compelling Viewing

Go watch "The Quiet"! Quickly! I can't get over what a good film it is – what a surprise! After watching The Quiet, I checked out its many awful critic reviews, then looked at it on the good old IMDb. Another surprise - it pretty much has nothing but raving user reviews – the People have spoken. I'm inclined to agree, as I picked the film up because I heard it was a thriller about normal people's dark, guilty secrets, which is always fun! I didn't really know much about the actual plot, and so, late last night, when I bunged it on the DVD with the idea of watching ten or so minutes before bed, I found that I couldn't stop watching it. I felt *compelled* to watch, even when the film was plumbing it's darkest depths and I was hanging over the edge of my seat feeling at my most unsettled and muttering to myself things like "mad" and "off key". If you don't already know what happens, I assure you, you will be completely surprised. The subject matter is one of those ones that some people think should never be dramatised, and it definitely *does* leave you unsettled (catch the scene where Nina confides her plan to Dot in the cafeteria – disturbing!), but I would say it will stick in my head, as apart from the twists, and the intense construction of suspense, the characters, who all start out as unsympathetic, go through such brilliantly contrived arcs, that you find yourself empathising with even the most evil. The two main characters are wicked – Elisha Cuthbert from 24 packs a stirring punch as the popular cheerleader from Hell with an unbelievable dark side and a complex set of issues, while Camille Bell puts in a career topping turn as not-so-deaf Dot, keeper of everyone's secrets – and work really well together. You also may find yourself laughing nervously a certain points and feeling bad for doing so, but that just means that the makers have provoked a reaction… Basically, I totally got more than I expected and I would recommend The Quiet to most people as shocking but compelling viewing! But, *don't* watch if you can't stand a film that makes you a bit uncomfortable, or one that makes you feel kinda guilty for liking it!