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The Quiet |
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics |
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For screenwriters Abdi Nazemian and Micah Schraft, life is full of clichés; and, apparently, they like clichés do much, they decided to litter their latest film with them. In their latest tale, The Quiet, a deaf orphan who is adopted by her seedy godfather, his pill-poppin’ wife, and their bitchy and manipulative yet popular teenage daughter becomes the catalyst that sets into motion a chain of events which ultimately unravels the web of lies holding this stereotypic, dysfunctional family together at the seams. The film, directed by Jamie Babbit (But, I’m a Cheerleader), is the first joint production between Carolyn Pfeiffer of Burnt Orange Productions and Tom Schatz, founder of the University of Texas Film Institute. This unique joint venture gave UT film students the opportunity to work on feature-length independent films alongside already established industry professionals. Without question, The
Quiet is a beautifully shot film.
Director of photography, David Mullen, creates a unique visual design
by using smoke to blur the visual flaws typically enhanced when shooting in
HD film. Also, the blue/gray color
schematic of the film effectively emphasizes the depression of the
characters, giving them an overall somber tonality. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long to
realize the striking visual aesthetics is the only impressive aspect of the
film. |
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Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics |
We are introduced to this cast of depressing clichés when recently orphaned Dot (Camilla Belle) arrives at the home of her adoptive godparents, creepy Paul and druggie Olivia Deer (Martin Donovan and Edie Falco) and their cruel, self-centered, offspring Nina (Elisha Cuthbert), a cheerleader. |
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As with most films, The Quiet falls victim to the most common of all cinematic downfalls – problems within the narrative structure. Because every character in the film is such a familiar cliché, we already recognize these well-known stereotypes, having seen them in hundreds of other movies. This ideological familiarity makes their plight (except for two surprise plot twists) so recognizable, that the story becomes campy and predictable. Obviously, disguise and illusion are the main themes of The Quiet – everyone has a secret they’re trying to hide. Unfortunately, the ever-present smoky haze combined with the continual overt references to thematic illusion often leave you feeling as if the haze is meant to cover up bad writing instead of aesthetic flaws. Think about it. If you really wanted to hide something, why would you keep drawing attention to the very thing you are trying to covet? Perhaps if Nazemian and Schraft had avoided the clichés,
and instead, had given unique qualities to their characters that tied them to
this particular film, the audience wouldn’t be forced to rely on ideological
stereotypes when interpreting the subtext of the film. By doing so, cinematic disguise would once
again become the illusion of secrecy; and, the irony of covert illusion could
have worked for the narrative instead of against it. |
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Dot’s own epiphany illustrates the best irony in this overt web of illusions: “Being invisible isn’t worth it. People can still see you.” Funny how that statement applies more to the film than it applies to its characters. © |
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics |
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