A Certain Kind of Silence

The fact that a Czech Yorgos Lanthimos is developing under the radar is the most pleasant surprise of Karlovy Vary IFF. Next time, more of this. #KVIFF2019 (07/04/2019)

The thing I liked about A Certain Kind of Silence is that even though it’s from a debuting director, it gives an impression of a modern, rather decent European drama, albeit without a usual feature of many similar films – emotions. However, in case of A Certain Kind of Silence it’s to the film’s advantage. It proves that we’ve got creators who are able to keep up with the times. (01/27/2020)

A mysterious film about the gradual discovery of the almost sectarian functioning of families with alternative education and the boundaries we are willing to go beyond in an effort to survive in life in spite of ourselves and our surroundings. The film is deliberately shot in a clinically cold way in all respects, including acting, all of the locations and the overall atmosphere, but it also lacks greater dramatic intensity and a stronger focus. The problem is also in the character of the main protagonist, who initially opposes certain rules of the strict family in which she works as an au pair, but eventually learns to accept them apathetically, and thus stops looking into the further details of the toxic background of her employers. The long wait for the point of the film only ends upon the postscript before the end credits. It gives purpose to the film retroactively, and you will also learn what the film was about; or rather, what could it have been about if it had been bolder and sharper, and if it didn't end with just a few disturbing hints. (07/04/2019)

I have a lot of sympathy for the role of the young, ambitious Czech filmmaker who has to endure the grueling conditions of co-productions in an attempt to break out of the domestic milieu, only to get so carried away that you can catch those European role models right from your seat as they fly out of the screen. But if I only let my sympathies speak, that would be condescending of me, so tough luck – A Certain Kind of Silence undoubtedly has its individual merits, but a completely flawed concept that explains the background to absolutely everything depicted only with closing credits. Until then, it offers not a single clue as to what kind of film it is and dances along with a half-horror plot about a totally dehumanized community of rich people reminiscent of, say, the Dutch Borgman. Moreover, the whole film is heavily stylized in image and sound, so when we learn at the end that it is a variation on real events about a real organization, we realize that we have just been the victims of a really thorough manipulation, no matter what we might otherwise think about that organization. Personally, I have less of a problem with this than most people should, because I'm aware that film in general is manipulation. Still, here an imaginary line has been crossed. (01/05/2020)

For some reason, the emotionless drama A Certain Kind of Silence grabbed me right from the start. I was waiting to see how it would end up, but I never would have thought that the movies would be based on a real Christian sect called the Twelve Tribes. The absence of emotion or catharsis seems to reflect the situation in today's over-tech society, where there is not much space left for feelings. The transformation of the main character working as an au-pair is almost unbelievable. I still can't help wondering how malleable a material it has become in the hands of an upper-class family. It should be noted that Eliška Křenková did a wonderful job playing the central role. (75%) (04/04/2023)