A seven-year-old girl adopts a vow of silence in protest when her quarrelsome parents grow increasingly hostile to one another.A seven-year-old girl adopts a vow of silence in protest when her quarrelsome parents grow increasingly hostile to one another.A seven-year-old girl adopts a vow of silence in protest when her quarrelsome parents grow increasingly hostile to one another.
- Awards
- 3 nominations
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWriter-director Rolf de Heer said of this film: "I'm really interested in the way children think, and I have quite strong memories of childhood and how I thought" explained de Heer. "I do remember quite strongly feeling that adults underestimate the way children think and that I must never forget that, so that when I became an adult I wouldn't make the same mistake."
- Quotes
[first lines]
Girl Age 7: Hey diddle diddle, the cow did a piddle behind the kitchen door. The little dog laughed to see such fun, so the cat did a little bit more.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Movie Show: Episode dated 11 May 1997 (1997)
- SoundtracksRow Row Row Your Boat
Traditional
Sung a cappella by Chloe Ferguson with modified lyrics
Reprised a cappella by Phoebe Ferguson with modified lyrics
Featured review
I was very interested in the premise of the story as described on the cover...that a young girl, without the words to express what she feels, becomes convinced of the uselessness of words and stops talking. I think this is brilliant! (I often wonder what is in my own children's minds when they stare off in silence.)
However, I was quite unimpressed with the story's unfolding. I was left feeling rather annoyed by the abundant use of voice over which spoiled the whole idea of her silence for me. I wanted to see things as she saw them and feel the tension that only silence can create but instead I was assaulted by a constant stream of interpretations and explanations that were already there in the action or in her beautifully expressive face.
While the child actors were usually very engaging, I found it difficult to reconcile the erratic speech patterns as written, especially in the adults, with an interpretation of the world from the young girl's point of view.
In all, I was disappointed. Such a wonderful premise but such poor writing and character development.
Deep sigh.
However, I was quite unimpressed with the story's unfolding. I was left feeling rather annoyed by the abundant use of voice over which spoiled the whole idea of her silence for me. I wanted to see things as she saw them and feel the tension that only silence can create but instead I was assaulted by a constant stream of interpretations and explanations that were already there in the action or in her beautifully expressive face.
While the child actors were usually very engaging, I found it difficult to reconcile the erratic speech patterns as written, especially in the adults, with an interpretation of the world from the young girl's point of view.
In all, I was disappointed. Such a wonderful premise but such poor writing and character development.
Deep sigh.
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- La habitación silenciosa
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content