‘The Silencing’ will please genre fans and personal admirers of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s talent.

In these difficult times of the pandemic, film releases are more jumbled than ever, making even moderately appealing projects worth their weight in gold. Among such imperfect but solid works is the film ‘The Silencing’ starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

Loss and Consequences

The daughter of a backwater town resident named Rayburn (Coster-Waldau) went missing. Since then, he has been drinking heavily, and only his job as a wildlife sanctuary caretaker saves him from complete oblivion. Suddenly, the body of a teenage girl is discovered on his territory, hunted with a primitive weapon. Due to this find, Rayburn becomes involved in the investigation of a possible series of murders.

From the very first frames, the viewer is immersed in an atmosphere of sorrow and hopelessness. A grief-stricken, alcoholic father; a killer using an atlatl (a throwing weapon of the ancestors of Mexicans) operating on land adjacent to an Indian reservation; and the local sheriff (Annabelle Wallis) has problems with her brother, who is grieving the death of their parents. The theme of losing loved ones and living through pain literally permeates the film ‘The Silencing’ throughout its 90 minutes. At the same time, the film’s director Robin Pront also reflects on redemption, on how one can cope with grief and how one should not. Such raised questions for a typical B-grade thriller are not the most common sight and are at least a commendable endeavor.

Daring Twists Without Drive

The main problem with the film ‘The Silencing’ is its leisurely pacing combined with a lack of any coherent tense or action scenes. Essentially, there are exactly 2 of them in the film, and neither raises the level of Pront’s work. The meager budget, which seeps through every crack, seems to have taken its toll. Suspense is present in the plot, but it is achieved through other means.

The compensation for the lack of drive comes in the form of absolutely insane but very effective plot twists. Just when the viewer thinks they have figured out the ‘gardener killer,’ the story takes a sharp turn that can surprise even cinephiles accustomed to this device. And there are several such moments in the film.

The Charm and Appeal of the Actors

Obviously, the main budget of the film ‘The Silencing’ went to inviting stars from ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Peaky Blinders,’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Annabelle Wallis, respectively. This bet makes sense, as the Dane belongs to that category of actors who can carry an entire film on their own, transforming into either an action hero or a lyrical character. Wallis, besides being responsible for external attractiveness, looks quite confident in genre works. And as ‘The Silencing’ shows, the sheriff’s uniform suits her.

Should You Watch the Film ‘The Silencing’?

If you miss solid thrillers-cum-action films that don’t reach for the stars or throw dust in your eyes with flashy visuals, but focus on story and atmosphere, then watching the film may bring you pleasure.

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