Screened to great success at last years Cannes Film Festival. Gustavo Hernandez’s The Silent House is a marvellously unique take on the horror genre and a stellar example of raw, independent yet outstanding filmmaking. The plot is based on a true story that happened in the late 1940’s in a small village in Uruguay. Filmed in one single continuous shot of seventy eight minutes, this visually superior flick focuses on Laura and her father Wilson as they settle down in a cottage they have to renew since its owner will soon put the house up for sale. They will spend the night there and repair the following morning.

Everything seems to go smoothly until Laura hears a sound that comes from outside and gets louder and louder on the upper floor of the house. Wilson goes up to see what is going on while she remains downstairs on her own, waiting for her father to come down. The Silent House is remarkably creative within its limited means, most notably utilising exceptionally well orchestrated cinematic tricks and sound design to plant the seeds of fear throughout Laura’s ordeal.

Colm McAuliffe,
Jameson Dublin International Film Festival