The SilenceThat which goes unsaid can sometimes resonate to a far greater degree than what we hear. The implied is more revealing than the disclosed, because we are creatures of deception, of vice, and of passions which we sometimes must keep secreted away in the dark. In those silent moments, we may learn more about someone than if they came right out and told us, because as human beings, we wear metaphorical masks when we deal with one another, the face we wish to present, and the real "us" which lurks behind the facade. And even when the language may escape us, we can usually understand one another by listening...not always with our ears, but with our hearts.
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Ingmar Bergman's The Silence marks the end of a trilogy of films about faith, preceded by Through a Glass Darkly and Winter Light. Compared with its predecessors, The Silence seems to have little--if no--relation to faith, unless we assess it from a humanist standpoint, where the faith in question should be in ourselves, but even this perspective leaves us unfulfilled, just as Ester (Ingrid Thulin) is unfulfilled, with life and with her relationship with her sister, Anna (Gunnel Lindblom). The two sisters are yin and yang, as different as could be; there is a kind of Apollonian and Dionysian dichotomy between the two sisters, with Ester representing the intellectual--yet withdrawn--"Apollo" side, and Anna, the wanton, physical "Dionysus" aspect. Both Anna and Ester have their own vices, with Ester suffering from some kind of malady--likely brought on by her obsessive smoking and drinking--with Anna seeking sexual encounters and actively recounting her adventures to hurt Ester. One could hypothesize as to why Anna and Ester are so emotional and portray a sense of betrayal when Anna tells Ester of her conquests. I suspect that this has much to do with the idea that Anna and Ester both represent two sides of the same person--not necessarily literally, but that one has what the other wants, and resents the other for having it; Anna's son, Johan (Jörgen Lindström), is caught in the middle of their ontological conflict. Johan isn't in much of a position to cope with the tension between his aunt and mom, left to roam the halls of the hotel in the strange country they are visiting, where the language is foreign, and the only company he has is that of the aged porter and a group of dwarf vaudevillians.
The title of The Silence implies many things, one that it represents the language barrier the family encounters in the foreign nation, whose name goes undisclosed. Language is reduced to a kind of gibberish, and we are deprived even subtitles to guess at the implication--reducing communication to awkward hand gestures, the words mean nothing. Ester's parting letter to Johan is one about how to translate the language of the country they are visiting; her occupation is a translator, but she herself is just learning the new language. It shares an extra meaning, in light of the falling out Ester has with Johan's mom, Anna: the translation is a gift so that Johan may understand, and understanding is the key to any relationship, an effort Anna fails to make beyond her own physical attempts at communication with strange men. At one point, Johan puts on a puppet show for Ester; when Ester asks why Punch (of "Punch and Judy") speaks in a strange language, Johan indicates that it is because he is scared. Johan's revelation of this--as tears well up in his eyes--is really code for his own fear that he cannot really express. Is he afraid because he worries for Ester? Is he afraid because his mother has been distant and agitated? Maybe he is simply afraid because he is in a strange country with images of tanks and unfamiliar language making him anxious. One element of The Silence is that it's hard to say with any assurance just what the relationship is between the characters and their situation, beyond the small facts we get. The Silence breeds doubt, or at least forces us to draw our own conclusions about the state of affairs. This means that different viewers might have varying interpretations about what is actually going on within the subtext of the film, and this should lead to discussion...it would be a pity if we remained silent ourselves in our own interpretations of the film.
Recommended for: Fans of an abstract drama with an open interpretation about some of the films broader themes. The Silence may not be as straightforward of a plot as other movies, but this is its strength, lending itself to individualized viewpoints on the movie.
The title of The Silence implies many things, one that it represents the language barrier the family encounters in the foreign nation, whose name goes undisclosed. Language is reduced to a kind of gibberish, and we are deprived even subtitles to guess at the implication--reducing communication to awkward hand gestures, the words mean nothing. Ester's parting letter to Johan is one about how to translate the language of the country they are visiting; her occupation is a translator, but she herself is just learning the new language. It shares an extra meaning, in light of the falling out Ester has with Johan's mom, Anna: the translation is a gift so that Johan may understand, and understanding is the key to any relationship, an effort Anna fails to make beyond her own physical attempts at communication with strange men. At one point, Johan puts on a puppet show for Ester; when Ester asks why Punch (of "Punch and Judy") speaks in a strange language, Johan indicates that it is because he is scared. Johan's revelation of this--as tears well up in his eyes--is really code for his own fear that he cannot really express. Is he afraid because he worries for Ester? Is he afraid because his mother has been distant and agitated? Maybe he is simply afraid because he is in a strange country with images of tanks and unfamiliar language making him anxious. One element of The Silence is that it's hard to say with any assurance just what the relationship is between the characters and their situation, beyond the small facts we get. The Silence breeds doubt, or at least forces us to draw our own conclusions about the state of affairs. This means that different viewers might have varying interpretations about what is actually going on within the subtext of the film, and this should lead to discussion...it would be a pity if we remained silent ourselves in our own interpretations of the film.
Recommended for: Fans of an abstract drama with an open interpretation about some of the films broader themes. The Silence may not be as straightforward of a plot as other movies, but this is its strength, lending itself to individualized viewpoints on the movie.