THE SILENCE
Australia, 2006, 90 minutes. Colour.
Richard Roxburgh, Essie Davis, Tony Barry, Michael Dorman.
Directed by Cate Shortland.
The Silence is an interesting police thriller, written by two women, but with insight into male psychology, especially that of the policeman accused of using violence on the job, under suspension, obsessed with getting back to his work, faced with a murder mystery that involves himself.
Richard Roxburgh is very good as the policeman. The film focuses on him, his character, his relationships and their failures, his work, his clashes with his psychologist, the opening up of a murder mystery from forty years earlier and discovering that the victim was his mother.
The film was directed by Cate Shortland who had achieved great success with Somersault in 2004, the film winning all the Australian Film Institute awards that it was entered in, thirteen categories including best film and director.
The film recreates the atmosphere of Sydney, police work. It also focuses on the police museum, issues (**??) of photography for an exhibition, but also the role of photos in providing information and clues to those who are alert for the solving of crimes.
Essie Davis portrays the police psychologist, a Scotswoman from Glasgow, which makes her accent somewhat difficult to understand at times. There is a strong supporting cast including Tony Barry as a former policeman and the young Michael Dorman as a would-be boxer.
1. The impact of the film as a police thriller? Murder mystery and detection, character study?
2. The familiar ingredients of the burnt-out policeman, the use of violence, attitude of fellow police, under suspension? The requirements of psychological fitness before returning to the job? The dynamics of the policeman with the psychologist who can give approval for his return to work? Personal involvements? Crime, being under suspicion, solving the mystery?
3. The complications of the plot, the extraordinary coincidences insofar as Richard was solving the murder of his mother over forty years later?
4. Richard as the focus, his career up till his suspension, the loner? His works with other police, his visits to the police precinct, people wary of him? His tensions, his passion? His relationship with the fellow policeman? His interest in her work with the partner? Using her, committed to her? The past violence, the blame, responsible or not, the re-creation of the incident? His working in the police museum, interest in his work, the photo exhibition?
5. The theme of photography, photos from the past, techniques, offering clues, information for identities of victims? The different clues from what different people notice? Richard and his looking at the position of the bodies? Evelyn and her noticing the dress? Building up a picture? The discussions about having a crime exhibition and the reactions of the various ex-police?
6. The psychologist, from Glasgow, not the regular psychologist? Richard’s visits, terse, clashes, his anger? The need for the document to return to work? The chance encounters with the psychologist? Her reading his file? Her trying to understand? The talks, his blowing up, apologies? Her background story, her helping him uncover his past? Some therapeutic aspects? A growing friendship, something more? Her helping him to wholeness? His final choosing to work with the exhibition? Her background of her ex-husband, coming to Australia, the job?
7. Evelyn, her age, nice young girl, the touch of brashness, the different generation? Her work at the museum? Her liking Richard, helping him, her comments on the photos, noticing the woman, the dress, the position of the dead woman? Her work with Richard, Richard frightening her when he stayed back? Her contribution?
8. Richard and his growing obsession, the crime in 1964, the dead man and his position? Noticing the girl on the side, trying to identify her? Seeing the picture of her dead, Evelyn noticing the similarity? Her being considered a prostitute, the files, his visiting the ex-policeman boxer, listening to the story, confirming that she was a prostitute? The police handling of the crime, careless? The connection with gambling identities? Richard and his visit to the boxer’s daughter, getting the information about her father? Visiting the old woman, her reminiscences about the past, her being able to identify the woman, show that she was not a prostitute, her work in the flower shop, getting money on the side – providing flowers for the prostitutes and their men buying them for them – and then returning them and selling them again? Her relationship with the boxer? The bet, the criminal gangster wanting to kill her? The possibility of his being the murderer? His own death?
9. The authorities, the discussions, suspicions of Richard?
10. The policewoman, Richard’s relationship with her, love or not? Her arranging the gift of the photos of his childhood? The only photos of him? Richard seeing the photos of the woman and the child, looking at his own photos, realising that she was his mother? The effect, his determination to do the detective work?
11. The background of his grandparents bringing him up, not telling him about what happened and the death of his father? Researching the newspaper files, finding that his mother had killed his father in self-defence?
12. Her story, living in Goulburn, their clothes and the research for the sellers? The evidence? Richard and his going to get the evidence bin, taking the dress? Evelyn examining it? Her coming to Sydney, the flower shop, the relationship with the policeman, her death?
13. The background characters, the ex-policeman-turned boxer, surly, Richard’s visit, his lies? His daughter? The visitor and his being under suspicion for the boxer’s murder? The young boxer and his giving information to the policewoman? The character of the old woman, her reminiscing about the past?
14. The death of the boxer, Richard under suspicion, the interrogations, the attitude of the fellow police, ironic? The policewoman observing?
15. The policewoman doing research, the interview with the young boxer, tracking down the retired policeman? Richard and his interviews with him, the visit to the bar? A genial man?
16. The photo of his mother, the going for the swim, talking with the women, realising the position of the sun, working out that the murder had been done earler a body brought to its final place? The truth about the retired policeman, the policewoman and her tracking him down? His explanation of his being in love with Richard’s mother, his anger, and his vengeance on the boxer?
17. The interplay of themes, burnt-out cops, police jobs, relationships, obsessions, mystery? Richard’s decision to stay with the museum?
