A Question of Silence (1982)

When three women with no previous acquaintance kill a male shopkeeper in the middle of the day, the female psychiatrist assigned to the case sets out to understand why.

Director:

Marleen Gorris

Writer:

Marleen Gorris

Stars:

Edda Barends, Nelly Frijda, Henriëtte Tol

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Edda Barends	...	Huisvrouw
Nelly Frijda	...	Koffiejuffrouw
Henriëtte Tol	...	Secretaresse
Cox Habbema	...	Psychiater
Eddie Brugman	...	Echtgenoot (as Eddy Brugman)
Hans Croiset	...	Rechter
Erik Plooyer	...	Officier van Justitie
Anna van Beers
Eric Besseling
Noa Cohen
Kees Coolen	...	Inspecteur
Edgar Danz
Diana Dobbelman	...	Vrouw van Psychiater
Miranda Frijda
Frederik de Groot

Storyline

Three women, all strangers to each other, meet in a dress boutique. One of the three is approached by the male proprietor as she is shoplifting a garment. When he approaches her the other two join her in beating the man to death. Other female shoppers ignore the whole situation and leave when the crime is complete. The court appoints a female psychriatrist to examine the women; contrary to public opinion the psychiatrist finds they are not insane but implies the rage expressed by the crime is a result of the male dominated society. An interesting study of extreme behavior. The prisoner's cells were a revelation.

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Plot Keywords:

feminist film | male objectification | woman murders a man | female murderer | female psychiatrist | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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Connections

Featured in Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema (2018)

User Reviews

This is a brilliant feminist work.

This film is NOT anti-male. It is not suggesting that women go out and randomly kill men just for being of that gender. What is does do is use a wonderful technique called reversal. If three men had brutalized a woman, well, "society" might not find that so shocking (maybe more now than earlier years, but certainly not as shocking as the reverse). It doesn't want to start propaganda, it wants to make you THINK. By making the therapist think on it, it forces the viewer to think on it as well. What's the history of women being brutalized and then remaining quiet about it? Have women really achieved the social, political, and economic equality that is the feminist goal? Why not? This movie doesn't hate men; it simply loves women enough to give everyone something to think about.

Details

Country:

Netherlands

Language:

Dutch English

Release Date:

18 February 1982 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

A Question of Silence

Box Office

Budget:

NLG300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sigma Film Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color