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:

Although Camilla Belle's eyes are actually hazel they were digitally changed to blue for the DVD cover and theatrical poster.

Goofs:

Continuity: In Nina's bedroom, the picture on the wall of her and Michelle is straight, then crooked, then straight again.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

References Girls Gone Wild (1998) (V)

Soundtrack:

Piano Sonata #28 Opus 101, Andante ma non troppo, con affecto

Unexpected

I walked into this movie thinking it would suck based on reviews. I was surprised that it actually was interesting and provocative. I think some people might have trouble handling the subject matter and the fact that it's treated with equal parts seriousness and humor. But uncomfortable laughter to me is the sign of a movie that actually pushes some of our buttons and that's a good thing. The cast here is wonderful, in particular Elisha Cuthbert, who proves she can act and Katy Mixon, who nails the bitchy teen banter that can be so typical in other movies. The direction is heavy handed at times but the humor does a good job of undercutting the heavy atmopshere. The ending does have some problems which I won't post here since I don't want to give anything away, but overall I think any movie that manages to be this disturbing is worth a look. I suspect this film will be re-evaluated when its time has come.