The Silence

German film The Silence (from 2010) is a mixture of thriller and drama.

It's not really a murder mystery, because you see the initial crime. I didn't really like that part; it was too graphic and the accidental element didn't seem to fit well. Possibly the film would have worked better if there had been at least an element of uncertainty about what had happened in the flashback to 1986.

Having said that, I thought the present day scenes (2009) were excellent. There is a lot going on between the characters, all of which have pretty major problems. There's a real build up of frustration in the viewer that people just can't see what is right in front of them because they are too busy fighting their own demons. On several occasions you think "Right, he's going to confess now." or "Now they've got him." but you are wrong.

The second murder almost becomes inconsequential (to the dismay of the child's parents) because the authority figures are so determined to believe that the same killer committed both crimes; and the police are convinced they know what happened.

It really is quite painful at times to see people failing to do the right thing. But then, I guess that is real life. In the end we are left with a group of people who have all been devastated by the horrible crimes that have been committed. Even the police are left damaged, despite feeling for the most part that they got their man.

One thing I couldn't decide was what the title refers to. Is it the silence of the people who could have spoken out but didn't, or is it the silence left behind when a loved-one dies?