Silence, The
About the Film
The Silence begins on a hot summer day, when a girl named Pia is brutally murdered in a field of wheat by Peer (Ulrich Thomsen), as his helpless friend Timo (Wotan Wilke Moehring) watches. Exactly 23 years later, another 13-year-old, Sinikka, is missing, her bicycle abandoned in the same spot, leading police to suspect the same killer may be at work again. Recently widowed detective David and his colleague Janna struggle to solve the mystery of these parallel crimes with the help of Krischan, the retired investigator of the unresolved case.
While Sinikka’s distraught parents are trapped in an agonizing period of waiting and uncertainty, their daughter’s fate rips open unhealed wounds in the heart of Pia’s mother and sends Timo in search of Peer and their own old desires.
In his strikingly commanding debut feature, Swiss-born Baran bo Odar adapts Jan Costin Wagner’s novel with his own unmistakable signature. Gripping performances by top European actors - headed by Ulrich Thomsen (In a Better World, The Celebration), Sebastian Blomberg (The Baader Meinhof Complex), Katrin Sass (Good Bye, Lenin!) and Burghart Klaussner (The White Ribbon) - enrich this intense drama far beyond the crime genre.
Reactions
"A taut, beautifully acted thriller." - Chuck Wilson, The Village Voice
FOUR STARS "A first-rate thriller." - David Fear, Time Out New York
“A harrowing and humane German-language whodunit.” - Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly
“”An exemplary German-language thriller, a complex and disturbing examination of guilt, violence and psychological torment that chills us to the core not once but two times over.” – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
FOUR STARS “Everyone should rush to see this icy and gripping thriller. I was on the edge of my seat.” - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
FOUR STARS “An exceptionally powerful film. A complex study of guilt and obsession” - Total Film
“Baran bo Odar’s moody and magnificent crime thriller is an elegant combination of subtle chills and haunting melodrama." – Screen Daily
Cast & Crew
Cast
Peer Sommer: Ulrich Thomsen
Timo Friedrich: Wotan Wilke Mohring
Elena Lange: Katrin Sass
David Jahn: Sebastian Blomberg
Nico Rogner: Burghart Klaussner
Ruth Weghamm: Karoline Eichhorn
Karl Weghamm: Roeland Wiesnekker
Crew
Director: Baran bo Odar
Screenplay: Baran bo Odar
Producers: Jörg Schulze, Frank Evers, Maren Lüthje, Florian Schneider
Cinematography: Nikolaus Summerer
Editing: Robert Rzesacz
Casting: Anja Dihrberg
Production Design: Yesim Zolan, Christian M. Goldbeck
Music: pas de deux (Kris Steininger, Michael Kamm)
Technical Info
Production Year: 2010Release Date: 03/08/13
Countries of Production: Germany
Languages: German
Running Time: 1h 59m
Screen Ratio: 2.35:1
Rating: Unrated
News & Press
Reviews
Four Stars “Everyone should rush to see this icy and gripping thriller. I was on the edge of my seat.” - Peter Bradshaw [The Guardian]
Four Stars “If you liked The Killing, you’ll love this.” - BBC 5 Live
"The Silence: quietly rehabilitating America's crime thriller genre" [Guardian]
"A wholly absorbing and surprisingly nuanced piece of work." [Telegraph]
"Baran Bo Odar’s moody and magnificent crime thriller is an elegant combination of subtle chills and haunting melodrama." [Screen Daily]
"The Silence is filled to the brim with complex and memorable characters..." [Little White Lies]
"Hugely impressive" [The Arts Desk]
"This icy, gripping police procedural thriller is easy to recommend for fans of The Killing, and indeed for anyone else, too." [Guardian]
"The Silence could make a little noise offshore as a niche release..." [Variety]
"What could have been just another serial-killer whodunit becomes a complex study of grief, obsession..." [TotalFilm.com]Theaters
Silence, The - Press Page
Reactions
"A taut, beautifully acted thriller." - Chuck Wilson, The Village Voice
FOUR STARS "A first-rate thriller." - David Fear, Time Out New York
“A harrowing and humane German-language whodunit.” - Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly
“”An exemplary German-language thriller, a complex and disturbing examination of guilt, violence and psychological torment that chills us to the core not once but two times over.” – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
FOUR STARS “Everyone should rush to see this icy and gripping thriller. I was on the edge of my seat.” - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
FOUR STARS “An exceptionally powerful film. A complex study of guilt and obsession” - Total Film
“Baran bo Odar’s moody and magnificent crime thriller is an elegant combination of subtle chills and haunting melodrama." – Screen Daily
Detailed Film Info
The Silence begins on a hot summer day, when a girl named Pia is brutally murdered in a field of wheat by Peer (Ulrich Thomsen), as his helpless friend Timo (Wotan Wilke Moehring) watches. Exactly 23 years later, another 13-year-old, Sinikka, is missing, her bicycle abandoned in the same spot, leading police to suspect the same killer may be at work again. Recently widowed detective David (Sebastian Blomberg) and his colleague Janna (Jule Boewe) struggle to solve the mystery of these parallel crimes with the help of Krischan (Burghart Klaussner), the retired investigator of the unresolved case. While Sinikka’s distraught parents are trapped in an agonizing period of waiting and uncertainty, their daughter’s fate rips open unhealed wounds in the heart of Pia’s mother (Katrin Sass) and sends Timo in search of Peer and their own old desires.
In his strikingly commanding debut feature, Swiss-born Baran bo Odar adapts Jan Costin Wagner’s novel with his own unmistakable signature. Selected by Variety as a "Director to Watch," Odar studied directing at the Munich Film School. The Silence premiered on the Locarno Film Festival's Piazza Grande and went on to screen at the Palm Springs Film Festival. Gripping performances by top European actors - headed by Ulrich Thomsen (In a Better World, Fear Me Not, The Celebration), Sebastian Blomberg (The Baader Meinhof Complex), Katrin Sass (Good Bye, Lenin!) and Burghart Klaussner (The White Ribbon, The Edukators) - enrich this intense drama far beyond the crime genre.
