Silence Is Golden (2006)

Director:

Chris Shepherd

Writer:

Chris Shepherd

Stars:

Conor Morris, Andrew Dunford, Kate McLoughlin

5 wins.

Cast

Cast overview:
Conor Morris	...	Billy
Andrew Dunford	...	Dennis Wright
Kate McLoughlin	...	Billy's Mum
Robert Linden	...	Moonie 1
Christopher James	...	Moonie 2
Patsy Peters	...	Gypsy
Emmaline Maxwell	...	Breast Feeding Mum
Raphael Maxwell	...	Baby
Patrick Smith	...	School Boy
Sabina Pursey	...	Little Girl in Street
Tamsin Pursey	...	Little Girl in Street
Michael Brailey	...	Ambulance Man
Paul Fowler	...	Ambulance Man
James Fennessy	...	Man from the Council (as Jim Fennessy)

Storyline

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Genres:

Animation | Short | Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

France UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 November 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le silence est d'or

Filming Locations:

Albany Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Autour de Minuit Productions, Slinky Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

15 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

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Soundtracks

"When Will I See You Again"
Composed by Leon Huff & Kenny Gamble
Performed by Polly Gibbons & Oliver Davis
Copyright Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp

User Reviews

a young boy, his boozy mother and their crazy neighbour

I searched this film out at the LFF. I've seen all of Chris's other films including his short with David Shrigley. This for me was his best. He combines live action perfectly with animation to create an amazing child's mind scape. The film is warm, touching, funny, tough and as someone else said at the festival said "very human".

Billy and his Mum live next door to a bloke (Dennis) who clearly has something up with him. He spends his time knocking on the wall, driving his mum crazy. Mum and son think he's a retard. But Billy likes to torment him and hence Dennis's banging, you get the feeling that the situation has gone on years before the film begins. As Billy's antics get bigger so do Billy's own fears which are not too far behind. I'm not going to tell you what happens in the end. There are lots of laughs in here. Billy is very cheeky, like when he tells his mum that Dennis is shagging the gypsy in street. It's clear he likes to wind up his mum.

I've never seen a short film with so many mind blowing effects and tricks. It kept making me think - how did they do that? The 70's art direction was stunning. This is a exceptional film is well worth searching out.