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IMDbPro

The Silent Child

  • 20172017
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 20m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
The Silent Child (2017)
  • Short
  • Drama
A deaf 6-year-old girl named Libby lives in a world of silence until a caring social worker teaches her to use sign language to communicate.A deaf 6-year-old girl named Libby lives in a world of silence until a caring social worker teaches her to use sign language to communicate.A deaf 6-year-old girl named Libby lives in a world of silence until a caring social worker teaches her to use sign language to communicate.
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Chris Overton
  • Writer
    • Rachel Shenton
  • Stars
    • Rachel Fielding
    • Philip York
    • Rachel Shenton
Top credits
  • Director
    • Chris Overton
  • Writer
    • Rachel Shenton
  • Stars
    • Rachel Fielding
    • Philip York
    • Rachel Shenton
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 31User reviews
    • 33Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 25 wins & 8 nominations total

    Photos16

    Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton at an event for The Silent Child (2017)
    Maisie Sly in The Silent Child (2017)
    Rachel Shenton and Maisie Sly in The Silent Child (2017)
    Maisie Sly in The Silent Child (2017)
    Rachel Shenton and Maisie Sly in The Silent Child (2017)
    Rachel Shenton and Maisie Sly in The Silent Child (2017)
    Chris Overton, Rachel Shenton, and Maisie Sly in The Silent Child (2017)
    Chris Overton, Rachel Shenton, and Maisie Sly in The Silent Child (2017)
    Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton in The Silent Child (2017)
    Rachel Shenton in The Silent Child (2017)
    Julie Foy, Chris Overton, Rachel Shenton, Rebecca Harris, and Maisie Sly at an event for The Silent Child (2017)
    Maisie Sly at an event for The Silent Child (2017)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Rachel Fielding
    Rachel Fielding
    • Sueas Sue
    Philip York
    • Paulas Paul
    Rachel Shenton
    Rachel Shenton
    • Joanneas Joanne
    Maisie Sly
    • Libbyas Libby
    Anna Barry
    • Nancyas Nancy
    Samuel Glyde-Rees
    • Sebas Seb
    • (as Sam Rees)
    Annie Cusselle
    • Pipas Pip
    Marilyn Willrich
    • Customer 1as Customer 1
    Zeranna Bueno Del Carpio
    • Customer 2as Customer 2
    • Director
      • Chris Overton
    • Writer
      • Rachel Shenton
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Rachael Shenton signed along with her Academy Award acceptance speech (using British Sign Language BSL) after making a promise to her co-star Maisie Sly, that she would do so if they won.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2018: Live Action (2018)

    User reviews31

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    This one really hit close to home with me...
    I must admit up front that I am not at all impartial in my ability to review "The Silent Child". Because I am the parent of a deaf daughter and am very acquainted with the subject matter in the film, the picture had a HUGE impact on me and I found myself crying during portions of the short. Even if perhaps I am not 100% impartial, the film earned a nomination for Best Live Action Short from the Oscars and I am rooting for it to take home the statuette--because of the quality of the film and because its message needs to be spread far and wide.

    The story is about a cute little girl named Libby who lives in England. Her family is very well off and Libby is about to begin school. However, there is a problem...Libby is profoundly deaf. Because of this, a social worker has been assigned to work with the child. Soon it becomes apparent that the family (the mother in particular) want some miracle to occur...for Libby to hear and talk, though this just is very very unlikely. Plus, with the family refusing to learn sign language and just hoping all works out, things look pretty bad for Libby...even after she begins to blossom and open up during the time she works with the social worker.

    The themes of this short are how woefully inadequate the school systems are to handle the needs of a deaf child and well as how woefully inadequate many parents of deaf kids are to be parents. Everything I saw in the film seemed familiar to me...such as the fact that the vast majority of deaf kids have parents who never learn to communicate with them and how isolated deaf children can be. While the problem in the US is not quite as severe as it is in the UK (here we have generally had little difficulty getting interpreters and other assistance with our daughter due to her disability), it still hits quite close to home. And, like Libby's family, I've known families who simply refuse to do anything to admit that their child needs remediation.

    Overall, extremely well made, insightful and sad in many, many ways.
    helpful•29
    4
    • planktonrules
    • Feb 12, 2018

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 8, 2017 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • British Sign Language
    • Also known as
      • La niña silenciosa
    • Filming locations
      • Staffordshire, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Slick Films
      • Slick Showreels
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • £10,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      20 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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