Silent House is a psychological thriller set in a decaying lakeside summerhouse. Directed by duo Chris Kentis and Laura Lau, who made the tense Open Water, Silent House also plays with constraints of location and time to give an intimate experience of fear. It is the English language remake of the Uruguayan film La Casa Muda (JDIFF 2011).
Sarah, her father and her uncle Peter are getting their summerhouse ready to sell. There’s a sense of victim about Sarah and enough predators present early on to offer a suitable choice of perps. The dysfunctional chill that pervades the house soon begins to settle into them and pull them back towards the secrets of its darker past (the house is indeed dark with boarded up windows and an unpaid electricity bill). The genre possibilities are kept open long enough to draw you in and the technical challenges and choreography are handled impressively (enough to allow for a few creaky storyboards here and there). The lead role is impressively played by Elizabeth Olsen (currently seen in Martha Marcy May Marlene), younger sister of the more famous twins. The film very much rests on her shoulders and she takes on the challenge of the “real time” performance with great skill, coming out with reputation enhanced. - Paddy Breathnach, Film director
