SILENCE OF THE HEART

US, 1984, 100 minutes, Colour.
Chad Lowe, Mariette Hartley, Howard Hesseman, Dana Hill, Charlie Sheen, Elizabeth Berridge, Sherilyn Fenn.
Directed by Richard Michaels.

Silence of the Heart is one of those American telemovies that deal very well and seriously with a social problem and its consequent questions. The focus in this film is teenage suicide.

The film focuses on a presentable young man in his final year at high school who does not get the desired exam results, cannot evoke from a girlfriend his desired response, feels neglected by his parents and unable to live up to their expectations. As portrayed by Chad Lowe, he is quite credible and his suicide a shock. The parents are very well played by Mariette Hartley and Howard Hesse. Dana Hill is the sister who is puzzled and worried by her brother's death. Charlie Sheen portrays a friend.

Audiences can identify with the characters and their way of life in this film, are invited to look at the situation from the point of view of the victim as well as the point of view of those concerned. The drama is strong and builds up to a questioning of responsibility and a plea from Mariette Hartley as the mother for communication and sensitivity.

1. The impact of the file? Its drama? Social problem? Relevance? ultimate effect?

2. The skill of the American telemovie in communicating to American audiences, universal audiences? Characters and style for audience identification? Probing of the problem?

3. The American town, homes, school? The range of people, ordinariness? Audiences able to identify with characters and experiences?

4. The title of the film: from poems by Sylvia Plath (with the background of her own depression and suicide)? Skip and his comment of dying as an art? The build-up to his suicide? His use of Sylvia Plath's poems as a means of communication? Last message? Themes?

5. The portrait of Skip/Michael? His age, in himself, potential? Appearance and skills, working out physically? His disappointing exam results? His infatuation with Andrea and her friendship and his wanting Pare? Working in the pizza shop? Talking with Penny? The bond with Ken and their sharing? Going home, his mother and the exam results and her seeming in difference? Cynthia on the phone? Dad and the barbecue and his lame telling of the duck joke? His not going to the barbecue, the visit to Andrea and her trying to speak to him realistically? The talk with Penny? The party, the stripping, going for the swim? His depression? Talking with men about suicide and means? His decision, looking at the cliff, sitting in the car? The audience understanding what was happening to him?

6. The effect of his death, the kids all knowing, their talk, Andrea, the basketball player and his talking to Ken, Penny? The parents and Cynthia not really knowing? Hearing? Ken and his antagonism? , The mother and her going to talk with Penny? The importance of Cynthia's video speech to the class?

7. The funeral, grief, the aftermath?

8. The portrait of the parents: the mother and her love but offhand behaviour, her wanting to farewell her son, the stoic reaction of her husband, meals at home, believing that it was an accident? Cynthia's place in the family and her tension? The mother and her decision to discuss with Penny, finding out the truth? The husband and his discussion with Ken, Ken not able to tell him the truth? Their clash about Ken? Tension at home, Cynthia's speech, the video, the visit to the counsellor and discovering the truth? The visit to Ken's mother and the warning about the same thing happening with Ken? The father not admitting the truth, wanting to be buddies with Ken, seeing himself as a buddy of his son? His remembering of his father? The decision to build the house, Ken's help? The video and his being against going to the school counsellor? Ken's letter and the poems on the bicycle?

9. Andrea as an ordinary young girl at school, friends, the relationship with Skip, her speaking realistically to him? His leaving the Sylvia Plath poems with her? Her blaming herself?

10. Penny and her love for Michael, sharing, but it not being reciprocated? Talking to him on the night of his death? Speaking frankly to his mother?

11. Ken and his friendship, their sharing? ten as a character, his hospital visitation, reading to the boy? The boy's death and his feeling it? His own good results, skill at sport? His relationship with his parents, criticising them? His inability to talk to his mother, her bland reassuring him and telling him to have no guilt? The video speech, talking with Cynthia? Taking the poems? Leaving them with the bike? His going to the cliff, the possibility of his killing himself? Blaming himself?

12. The credibility of the ending? Ken's behaviour? Michael's parents and their talking to him, trying to persuade him, the role-play and his saying that he would have told Skip 'You'll get over it'?

13. Themes of guilt, responsibility? Sensitivity to messages, affirmation of love?

14. The finale of the mother's appeal for understanding and sensitivity?

15. An effective telemovie? Audiences sharing the experience? Probing of a social question?