The Silent House...

The 'Silent House' is a Uruguayan horror film by director Gustavo Hernández which made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival 2010 and is screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF). This movie has received lots of attention as it was filmed with a digital camera and shot in one take. Fairly remarkable as the films running time is about 1hour and a half.

Suspense is built well in this film with clever use of the sound-track to indicate moments of trepidation and horror. We are caught up in the horror of the situation as the heroine Laura's (actress, Florencia Colucci) briefly escapes from the house and we hear the world and all sound as if we are swimming underwater or rather drowning in the situation as Laura is.

The movie is a visual one with clever use of filming that also builds suspense. One scene set in pure darkness where the heroine has lost her lamp and lights up the room with a Polaroid camera revealing some frightening images is particularly 'scream worthy!'

The main issue I had with this film was the plot which as revealed towards the end of the film seems a little fantastical. The heroines action's don't match with the sequence of events and the rationale and motivations that are finally revealed. We are also left with a number of unanswered questions that don't add to the suspense but frustrate the viewer.

- Take It or Leave It (scary at times but ultimatley nonsensical!)

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