The Silencing is another addition to the subgenre of broody crime thrillers mostly but not always set in a small town in middle America that would fit rather nicely among films in the vein of Wind River, Insomnia, Prisoners, Hold The Dark, and Cold In July. It’s not a genre that invites a ton of experimentation or originality, but for many, myself included, there is a strange comfort in settling into one of these movies, even though they often deal in dark and bleak subject matter. The Silencing is by no means a groundbreaking or all that memorable piece of cinema, but it’s still one that I enjoyed watching.
The film follows a reclusive former hunter, Rayburn (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), who now spends his time either running an animal sanctuary or drinking at home with the company of his dog Thor. His drinking has long been a problem, but it’s even worse after the loss of his daughter who went missing many years prior, an event that ultimately led to the separation between him and his now ex-wife, Debbie (Melanie Scrofano). Things take a turn when he sees news of a body being discovered, one of a young girl. While the girl is not his daughter, he believes there is a connection. So, he tries to look into the case with the help of the recently appointed Sheriff Alice (Annabelle Wallis).
As you might tell, it’s territory that we’ve all seen before. And I’d be lying if I said the film brought something new to the table. It doesn’t. I wouldn’t go as far as to say the story was totally predictable, there are a couple moments that did catch me off-guard, but it all ends up leading to a place in the end that I wouldn’t call especially challenging or inventive. Its thematic flourishes are few and far between, and the one point where it seems like the film takes a very sudden and drastic turn with a character doesn’t really go anywhere, which was rather disappointing considering the potential it had (you’ll know exactly what I mean when you see it).
Despite that, the film is quite engaging, and part of it is due to the efficient and moody filmmaking. This is director Robin Pront’s, second feature, following his 2015 Belgian drama The Ardennes. He manages to take Micah Ranum’s script, and wring out as much tension and atmosphere as he can from it. The results are solid enough, and there are several sequences that are genuinely suspenseful, making great use of its backwoods setting. The style is certainly far from flashy, but it gets the job done.
On top of that, what really makes the film work as well as it does are the performances. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau probably has a lot of time on his hands now that Game Of Thrones is over, and I think this film goes to show that even with relatively thin material, he brings a great presence to whatever he works on. He has that lived-in, gruff exterior that works perfectly for this kind of material, and he throws a lot into the role, making even the most superficial character beats ring true. Annabelle Wallis is also quite good here, making the most out of the scraps of character depth that the script gives her. She’s especially good in scenes where she has to bounce off her troubled young brother, Brooks (Hero Fiennes Tiffin). They have a strong dynamic, and one that I wish the film gave more time to explore.
There’s not a whole lot else to dig into with The Silencing. It’s very much a get-in-get-out thriller that keeps its ambitions to a minimum, and works exclusively to bring cheap thrills, and on that level, it totally works. While it may be full of missed opportunities, the bleak atmosphere and strong performances, especially from Nikolaj Coster-Waldau – who is absolutely capable of being a top dog leading man – gave me just enough to be engrossed in the story. I’m aware this isn’t necessarily high praise, but sometimes, something as easily digestible as this is good enough, and if you want something a little dark to pass the time, this will serve that purpose just fine.
The Silencing is now available in theaters and on demand and digital platforms.