7.7/10
1,439
23 user 32 critic

The Silent Child (2017)

Not Rated | | Short , Drama | 8 August 2017 (USA)
The Silent Child Poster
A deaf 4-year-old girl named Libby lives in a world of silence until a caring social worker teaches her to use sign language to communicate.

Director:

Chris Overton

Writer:

Rachel Shenton

Stars:

Rachel Fielding, Philip York, Rachel Shenton | See full cast & crew »
Reviews
Won 1 Oscar. Another 25 wins & 8 nominations. See more awards »

Photos

See all 15 photos »
Learn more

More Like This 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

Next »
My Nephew Emmett (2017)
Short | Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

At 2:30AM on August 28, 1955 in the most racially divided state in the country, 64 year-old Mose Wright tries to protect his 14 year-old nephew Emmett Till from two racist killers out for ... See full summary »

Director: Kevin Wilson Jr.
Stars: Dorian Davis, Jasmine Guy, Emily Hooper
Next »
DeKalb Elementary (2017)
Short | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

Inspired by an actual 911 call placed during a school shooting incident in Atlanta, Georgia.

Director: Reed Van Dyk
Stars: Shinelle Azoroh, John Brockus, Michael Brown
Next »
Watu Wote: All of us (2017)
Short | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

For a decade Kenya has been targeted by terrorist attacks of the Al-Shabaab. An atmosphere of anxiety and mistrust between Muslims and Christians is growing. Until in December 2015, Muslim bus passengers showed that solidarity can prevail.

Director: Katja Benrath
Stars: Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed, Mahad Ahmed
Next »
The Eleven O'Clock (2016)
Short | Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

The delusional patient of a psychiatrist believes he is actually the psychiatrist. As they each attempt to treat each other the session gets out of control.

Director: Derin Seale
Stars: Josh Lawson, Damon Herriman, Jessica Wren
Next »
Negative Space (2017)
Animation | Short
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

Even though Sam's father is hardly ever home because he is often away on business trips, he is able to connect with his son by teaching him how to pack a suitcase.

Directors: Ru Kuwahata, Max Porter
Stars: Albert Birney
Next »
Garden Party (2017)
Animation | Short | Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

In a deserted rich house, a couple of amphibians explore their surroundings and follow their primal instincts.

Directors: Florian Babikian, Vincent Bayoux, and 4 more credits »

Next »
Lost Property Office (2017)
Animation | Short | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.4/10 X  

Sometimes people can get lost in their work.

Director: Daniel Agdag

Next »
Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405 (2016)
Documentary | Short | Biography
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

A brilliant but tortured 56-year-old artist channels her depression and anxiety into her work.

Director: Frank Stiefel
Stars: Tom Wudl
Next »
Knife Skills (2017)
Documentary | Short
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

What does it take to build a world-class French restaurant? What if the staff is almost entirely men and women just out of prison? What if most have never cooked or served before, and have ... See full summary »

Director: Thomas Lennon

Next »
Edith+Eddie (2017)
Documentary | Short
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

Edith and Eddie, ages 96 and 95, are America's oldest interracial newlyweds. Their love story is disrupted by a family feud that threatens to tear the couple apart.

Director: Laura Checkoway

Next »
Weeds I (2017)
Animation | Short
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

A film about empathy, and the struggle and distance someone may have to travel--against all odds--to find a better life.

Director: Kevin Hudson

Next »
Dear Basketball (2017)
Animation | Short | Biography
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

An animated telling of Kobe Bryant's poem 'Dear Basketball'.

Director: Glen Keane
Stars: Kobe Bryant
Edit

Cast

Cast overview:
Rachel Fielding Rachel Fielding ... Sue
Philip York Philip York ... Paul
Rachel Shenton ... Joanne
Maisie Sly Maisie Sly ... Libby
Anna Barry Anna Barry ... Nancy
Sam Rees Sam Rees ... Seb
Annie Cusselle Annie Cusselle ... Pip
Marilyn Willrich Marilyn Willrich ... Customer 1
Zeranna Bueno Del Carpio Zeranna Bueno Del Carpio ... Customer 2
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

Set in rural England and inspired by real life events. The Silent Child centres around a profoundly deaf four year old girl named Libby who is born into a middle class family and lives in a world of silence until a caring social worker teaches her the gift of communication.

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

four year old | social worker | mother daughter relationship | written by star | family relationships | See All (8) »

Taglines:

Inspired by real life events: A deaf child born into a hearing family and a world of silence until . . .

Genres:

Short | Drama

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
Edit

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook | Official site | See more »

Country:

UK

Language:

English | British Sign Language

Release Date:

8 August 2017 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

A csendes gyermek See more »

Filming Locations:

Staffordshire, England, UK
Edit

Box Office

Budget:

£10,000 (estimated)
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Slick Films,Slick Showreels See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rachael Shenton signed along with her 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. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Breakfast: Episode dated 5 March 2018 (2018) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
The full potential of what shorts can be.
1 January 2018 | by CinematicInceptions – See all my reviews

I really hope that this at least gets an Oscar nomination for best live-action short because it fully deserves it. I saw this premiere at the Rhode Island International Film Festival this August, and multiple people including me began learning sign language after watching it. It won several awards at the end of the festival, as many people I attended the festival with expected. It's not the most entertaining short, nor the most artsy, but it presents what is clearly a poorly-handled disability in a way that motivates action. In the wrong hands, this project might have just turned into an infomercial or a guilt trip, but thankfully this is not the case. Instead, the audience is given great emotional access to both of our characters in such a way that we can root for them. The only aspect of it that I didn't fully buy was the neglect of the parents, but even that seems fairly plausible now that I am thinking about it.

The Silent Child affirms my belief that shorts need to get better exposure than they do at present. It wouldn't work to make a feature film centered around the concept of deafness, and giving a single minor character in a big feature such a disability can often be problematic. But topics such as this are perfect for short films, and this particular short got just about everything right.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 23 user reviews »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

Rent or Buy Popular Movies With Prime Video

Explore popular movies available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

Visit Prime Video to explore more titles


Clear your history

Recently Viewed