Silence & Darkness

Silence & Darkness is a compelling and atmosphere-driven psychological thriller film released in 2019. It stars an ensemble cast featuring the luminous talents of Mina Walker, Joan Glackin, and Jordan Lage.

The narrative of the film revolves around two sisters beautifully portrayed by Mina Walker and Joan Glackin. The movie explores their closely tied and somewhat eerie existence in a rural and secluded town where they live with their father (played by Jordan Lage). In this deeply intimate and haunting story, each character exhibits an intricate mesh of love and dependency against a backdrop of chilling isolation.

The two sisters are unique in their own regard, one is blind, and the other is deaf. This unique characteristic is engraved perfectly in their performances, and the absence of sight and sound takes the audience on a heartfelt, psychological journey into the siblings' world. The sisters rely heavily on each other for the most basic aspects of existence, with a life that is richly and deeply symbiotic. The film shows how two people can interrelate with the world in their unique manner, their life structured in a way that requires them to depend on each other for sensory input.

The introduction of the patriarch, their father, brings a complicated dynamic to the narrative: a beloved figure who, on the surface, provides essential care for his daughters. But there are questions looming about his role in their lives. Jordan Lage delivers a brilliant performance, veering between an empathetic caregiver to a figure potentially more sinister.

One of the film's hallmarks is its ability to encapsulate the audience in an intriguing world full of twisted aesthetics and stunning visual cues. It effectively utilizes the cinematic tools of sound and vision to tell a captivating story that boldly emanates a tragic charm.

The cinematography of Silence & Darkness is undoubtedly breathtaking. The scenic rural backdrop serves as the perfect setting for the unfolding of this eerie narrative. The rural landscape, punctuated by open fields and deserted roads, reflects the sisters' isolation, reinforcing their loneliness and vulnerability. The movie uses the spaciousness of the setting as an eerie metaphorical space to heighten the sense of dread and discomfort in the viewer's mind.

Silence & Darkness offers a surreal viewing experience where the audience is often left uncertain and questioning the reality being portrayed. The narrative adeptly balances moments of suspense with psychologically intriguing stretches. Manipulating silence and darkness using the characters' blindness and deafness, the film creates an almost palpable tension and a disconcerting sense of foreboding.

The film explores themes of dependency, isolation, and the human capacity for love and endurance under trying circumstances. In its narrative experimentation, it takes the viewers into the depth of the characters’ isolation by exploiting the lack or absence of specific senses, magnifying the spatial and emotional disconnect they have with the outer world.

Director Barak Barkan thrives in manipulating the audience's anxiety levels, keeping them on edge, as he gradually unfolds the eerie narrative. His unique ability to masterfully pull back the layers of the seemingly mundane, revealing a darker undercurrent within, becomes the strength of this film.

The screenplay's chronological order intensifies the anxiety, and the use of protracted timelines expounds on the prevailing suspense. Despite its thriller label, the movie teases out the suspense rather than resorting to jump scares or shocking reveals. The film is less about the climax and more about the journey it takes to get there.

The performances by the cast are commendable. Their ability to live through the characters and bring forth an emotional portrayal of their life situations is distinctly capturing. Mina Walker and Joan Glackin, in particular, steal the show with their compelling performances and their extraordinary depiction of their characters' unique vulnerabilities and strengths.

In conclusion, Silence & Darkness is an immersive experience that blends psychological suspense with drama to provide a look into a unique familial relationship that keeps viewers on edge. The film brilliantly exploits the cinematic levers of sight and sound to unravel a deeply intimate yet suspenseful saga of two sisters and their distressed father. It’s a riveting watch that promises to leave its audience with lingering thoughts and feelings long after the credits have rolled. It invites the audience into the world of the characters and allows them to deduce and interpret the unsettling atmosphere in their own imaginative capacity.