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The Silences

Name: The Silences
Director: Beatriz Seigner
Released: 2019
Duration: 90 min

Representation Score

3.6/10

Limited

2019

TV-14

Director

Beatriz Seigner

Runtime

90 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The Silences is a psychological drama that prioritizes atmospheric tension and character interiority over overt sociopolitical messaging. It challenges traditional gender hierarchies by centering the emotional burdens of its female protagonists. While the film lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or disabilities, it offers a meaningful look at populations displaced by geopolitical instability. The setting provides a non-Western perspective, though the focus remains narrow and intimate. Ultimately, the film is a study of human trauma rather than a vehicle for progressive social frameworks. It earns credit for its nuanced portrayal of refugees navigating a fractured domestic reality.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Silences have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or explore non-straight-centered identities. The story focuses solely on the nuclear family and the psychological impact of the father's return.

How does The Silences portray gender?

Fair

The narrative emphasizes the ability to act of the mother and daughter, disrupting traditional patriarchal stories by focusing on their internal survival mechanisms rather than male-driven actions.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Silences?

Good

Set in the Amazonian borderlands, the film shifts away from Western-centric norms. However, it primarily serves as a psychological study of one family rather than exploring broader racial intersections.

How does The Silences represent religion and culture?

Fair

The film highlights the fragility of social and family structures due to the Colombian armed conflict. It presents a realistic view of social order and institutional failures without idealization.

Does The Silences include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no prominent depictions of physical, neurodivergent, or sensory disabilities within the narrative.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional patriarchal narratives by centering women's ability to drive the story and internal survival.
Provides a non-Western perspective by using a remote Amazonian borderland setting.
Offers a nuanced portrayal of the instability faced by refugees of armed conflict.

Limited or Absent

Lacks any representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight-centered characters.
Provides no depictions of physical, neurodivergent, or sensory disabilities.
Focuses on a specific family unit rather than broader racial or ethnic the way different parts of someone's identity overlap.

Official Synopsis

Nuria, 12, Fabio, 9, and their mother arrive on a small island in the middle of the Amazon, bordering Brazil, Colombia and Peru. They fled the Colombian armed conflict, in which their father disappeared. One day, he mysteriously reappears in their new home.

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