DEAD SILENT
US/Canada, 1999, 95 minutes, Colour.
Rob Lowe, Catherine Mary Stewart, Arlen Aguayo- Stewart.
Directed by Roger Cardinal.
Dead Silent is an entertaining thriller. Its complex plot involves a little girl witnessing the death of her parents after a happy birthday party. However, it emerges that the parents were involved in stealing information technology hardware and had fallen out with their partners.
The care for the little girl, Arlen Aguayo -Stewart, devolves on her aunt, Catherine Mary Stewart, who is in the final days of studying for her doctor’s exams. They are helped by someone who moves into the next apartment, the charming Rob Lowe.
With all the complications it emerges that Lowe is an investigator, Catherine Mary Steward decides not to adopt out her niece and to try for her exams later, the child psychiatrist tending the girl turns out to be one of the accomplices, there are shoot-outs, explosions and final violent confrontations before the happy ending.
1.An interesting and entertaining telemovie thriller? Mystery? Background of information technology? Mistaken identities?
2.The city settings, homes, apartments, police precincts, psychologists’ offices? The streets? Authentic? Musical score?
3.The opening: the parents, the birthday party for Amanda, the celebration, the gift of the bear? The looks between the parents? The night, the prowler, the parents being shot, Amanda witnessing the killings, hiding, her being spared? Her remaining silent?
4.Dealing with Amanda, Julia and her being busy, not used to children, alienated from her sister? Her taking her to the adoption agency, the prospect of adoption, the couple and the interview? Her taking her to the police, her interrogations? Her taking her to the child psychologist, his methods, drawings, helping Amanda to speak? Amanda and her being at home with Julia, yet her tensions, spilling juice on the exam notes etc? The friendship with Kevin, the kindly neighbour, playing with him? Her realisation that the psychologist was a criminal because of his shoes and the red paint? Her finally speaking and warning Julia and Kevin? The rescue? A future?
5.Julia, doctor, hardworking, studies? The news of her sister’s death, having to deal with Amanda? Her not feeling skilled? The adoption, the police, the child psychiatrist? The encounters with Kevin, the attraction, confiding in him, her suspicions, the photos, wanting him to play the violin in the restaurant and his doing so, the truth about his being an investigator, her anger, the gun, hitting him? Her going to the police, to the psychologist, the set-up, the previous car explosion and her fears? The fight with the criminals? Kevin’s rescue?
6.The criminals, falling out with the parents, wanting the information? The irony of the coin in the bear? Julia and her not taking Amanda to the Planetarium, Amanda’s reaction, Julia’s change of heart, the penny not working – and Kevin realising that this was the key for the information?
7.The police, sympathy, investigations?
8.The psychiatrist, his working with Amanda, the revelation of the truth? The shootings? The other criminals, the confrontation, stalking Julia, in the toilet, the threats? The phone calls?
9.Kevin, charm, moving in next-door, helping out, babysitting, playing with Amanda? His anger at her discovery of the gun? Playing the violin and it being the truth? The encounter with Julia? The aftermath, her taking his gun, his coming to the rescue?
10.Typical mystery, murder thriller with happy romance and resolution?
