Silent Fall (1994)

An autistic boy witnesses his parents' double murder. Richard Dreyfuss as a controversial therapist, seeks to probe the child's mind in order to solve the case.

Director:

Bruce Beresford

Writer:

Akiva Goldsman

Stars:

Richard Dreyfuss, Linda Hamilton, John Lithgow

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Dr. Jake Rainer
Linda Hamilton	...	Karen Rainer
John Lithgow	...	Dr. Rene Harlinger
J.T. Walsh	...	Sheriff Mitch Rivers
Ben Faulkner	...	Tim Warden
Liv Tyler	...	Sylvie Warden
Zahn McClarnon	...	Deputy Bear
Brandon Stouffer	...	Halloween Kid #1
Treva Moniik King	...	Halloween Kid #2
John McGee Jr.	...	Deputy
Ron Tucker	...	Forensic Detective
Catherine Shaffner	...	Martha
Heather M. Bomba	...	Twin #1
Marianne E. Bomba	...	Twin #2 (as Marianne M. Bomba)
Jane Beard	...	Carol Simmons

Storyline

An autistic boy witnesses his parents' double murder. Richard Dreyfuss as a controversial therapist, seeks to probe the child's mind in order to solve the case.

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Plot Keywords:

incest | daughter raped by father | father daughter incest | traumatized child | older sister younger brother | 

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Taglines:

A Savage Crime. A Silent Witness.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and a murder scene

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 October 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Indian Summer

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$3,180,674

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kouf/Bigelow Productions, Morgan Creek Entertainment

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Richard Dreyfuss and J.T. Walsh previously appeared in Tin Men (1987).

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Quotes

Dr. Jake Rainer: Abuse victims are always the best actors. They have to be, to live their whole lives with the pain and shame pretending there is nothing wrong. It's the greatest performance of all

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: The Road to Wellville/Silent Fall/Stargate/The Last Seduction/Vanya on 42nd Street (1994)

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Soundtracks

Piano Concerto No. 21 In C Major, K467 'Elvira Madigan'
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Sergei Uravayev - piano
The New Philharmonic Orchestra of St. Petersburg, Alexander Titov - conductor
Courtesy of Sony Classical

User Reviews

Not great, but worth a watch

First, let's admit that we're not watching this to learn the medical characteristics of autism. The purpose of watching the film is for entertainment.

That said, this film held my attention. I *DID* figure it out shortly before the end and admit that the clues were there all the way through, some pretty strong. Personally, I think that's what makes a good mystery, that it *CAN* be figured out.

Performances: I always enjoy Richard Dreyfuss' work. While he has done better, he didn't disappoint me. John Lithgow was completely believable as always. The real star, though, was Ben Faulkner as Tim, the autistic boy. Ignoring the voice dubbing for the adults (part of the script), he did a wonderful job in a part that had to be difficult at best. I find it strange that this is the only acting job he held. Hopefully, it's because he decided that he wanted to be a kid rather than an actor. Hollywood's loss.