SALON

Wednesday, Mar 6, 2013 7:30 PM UTC

“The Silence”: A serial killer is on the loose in this twisty, David Lynch-esque thriller

You'll know who the killer is right away — kind of — in this ominous German drama

By

Topics: Movies, Thrillers, Crime, Europe, Germany, Our Picks, Our Picks: Movies,

Violent crime, especially of the random and spectacular variety that people make movies about, remains a rare event in Western Europe. But rare is not the same as nonexistent – as the Anders Breivik case makes entirely too clear – and for complicated reasons European pop culture in the Stieg Larsson era has become increasingly obsessed with gruesome murder yarns, previously an American specialty. Writer-director Baran bo Odar’s ominous and atmospheric German crime thriller “The Silence” mixes together a lot of familiar elements: a town haunted by a murder from the distant past, a damaged cop hero battling his personal demons, and the general David Lynch sense that evil lurks below the surface of an oppressively normal place.

But this adaptation of a bestselling novel by Jan Costin Wagner (which is being published next week in an American paperback edition, as “Silence”) throws in an inside-out twist that isn’t entirely original but adds some tragic and philosophical depth. In the audience, we’re constantly several steps ahead of the bickering and distracted investigators; within the film’s first few minutes, we know who committed an unsolved child-killing in 1986 that has subtly disarranged the life of this backwater suburban community. (Wagner’s novels are written in German but set in Finland; Odar has transposed the action to a fictional town in what looks to be central or southern Germany.) We see the two guys who rape and murder 11-year-old Pia in a remote field, leaving her bicycle and headphones behind, and before long we know where they are today, and how far they’ve drifted since that day. (It gives absolutely nothing away to say that one of them is played, and chillingly, by the fine Danish actor Ulrich Thomsen.)

We also understand pretty quickly that the startlingly similar disappearance of another young girl, with her bicycle abandoned on the same spot exactly 23 years later, is no coincidence. But exactly what the connection is, who committed the second murder and why – those things keep us guessing for a while, and likely reaching the wrong conclusions. Both Krischan (Burghart Klaussner), the retired detective who investigated the first crime, and his recently bereaved younger colleague David (Sebastian Blomberg) are savvy enough to reject the official story that the two events are unrelated, or that the second is a copycat killing. What we don’t know is whether these flawed heroes are capable of piecing together the fragile threads connecting the cold case to the new one.

As is very often true in Euro-crime dramas, the actual whodunit plot of “The Silence” (in this case more of a whydunit) is arguably less interesting than the characters and the situation, exactly the things that will be lost in a potential Hollywood remake. As in the Larsson “Girl Who …” books and films, you get the sense that the bland social-democratic prosperity of modern Europe is a kind of false veneer, pasted on top of the continent’s dark past and not quite concealing it. For instance, I’m not exactly sure why it seems so disturbing that the parents of the missing girl in 2009 are bored and affluent yuppies whose house is undergoing an enormous renovation. That doesn’t mean their daughter deserved to be abducted, does it?

Krischan, still seeking absolution for his failure to solve the 1986 case, takes on a passionate sexual relationship with Elena (the great Katrin Sass), mother of the murder victim. As for Blomberg’s gaunt and handsome David, he’s nearly lost in grief and mental illness after the death of his wife, and in no shape for police work. Still, he develops special insight into the case, as if his own version of crazy allows him to see the killer’s more clearly. Then there’s the odd camaraderie and sexual chemistry between David and his extremely pregnant colleague Jana (Jule Böwe), another unresolved element that leaves us guessing.

In fact, despite its well-known source material and its cast of top-shelf German actors, “The Silence” feels almost like the pilot for a miniseries after the fashion of “The Killing,” rather than a self-contained drama. There are certainly enough unanswered questions to sustain our interest for a while: Will David address his all-night drinking binges and his propensity for wearing his wife’s dresses? Will Krischan and Elena ever resolve their hate-sex relationship, and will the ripped-up front yard of the missing girl’s parents just sit there, looking altogether too much like an open grave, after the dreadful thing that has happened to them? (And who’s the father of Jana’s baby, anyway?) In the end “The Silence” is more like an intriguing work of misdirection than a great crime film, but it has a dreamlike and disturbing undertow you won’t soon forget, and Odar is unquestionably a director to watch.

“The Silence” opens this week at Cinema Village in New York and the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles. It opens March 15 at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago; March 22 in Boston and San Diego; March 29 in Minneapolis, Philadelphia, St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.; and April 5 in Atlanta and Denver, with more cities and home-video release to follow.

Andrew O

More Andrew O'Hehir.

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

7 motorist-friendly camping sites

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Sponsored Post

  • White River National Forest via Lower Crystal Lake, Colorado
    For those OK with the mainstream, White River Forest welcomes more than 10 million visitors a year, making it the most-visited recreation forest in the nation. But don’t hate it for being beautiful; it’s got substance, too. The forest boasts 8 wilderness areas, 2,500 miles of trail, 1,900 miles of winding service system roads, and 12 ski resorts (should your snow shredders fit the trunk space). If ice isn’t your thing: take the tire-friendly Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway — 82 miles connecting the towns of Meeker and Yampa, half of which is unpaved for you road rebels.
    fs.usda.gov/whiteriveryou


    Image credit: Getty

  • Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest via Noontootla Creek, Georgia
    Boasting 10 wildernesses, 430 miles of trail and 1,367 miles of trout-filled stream, this Georgia forest is hailed as a camper’s paradise. Try driving the Ridge and Valley Scenic Byway, which saw Civil War battles fought. If the tall peaks make your engine tremble, opt for the relatively flat Oconee National Forest, which offers smaller hills and an easy trail to the ghost town of Scull Shoals. Scaredy-cats can opt for John’s Mountain Overlook, which leads to twin waterfalls for the sensitive sightseer in you.
    fs.usda.gov/conf


    Image credit: flickr/chattoconeenf

  • Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area via Green Road, Michigan
    The only national forest in Lower Michigan, the Huron-Mainstee spans nearly 1 million acres of public land. Outside the requisite lush habitat for fish and wildlife on display, the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area is among the biggest hooks for visitors: offering beach camping with shores pounded by big, cerulean surf. Splash in some rum and you just might think you were in the Caribbean.
    fs.usda.gov/hmnf


    Image credit: umich.edu

  • Canaan Mountain via Backcountry Canaan Loop Road, West Virginia
    A favorite hailed by outdoorsman and author Johnny Molloy as some of the best high-country car camping sites anywhere in the country, you don’t have to go far to get away. Travel 20 miles west of Dolly Sods (among the busiest in the East) to find the Canaan Backcountry (for more quiet and peace). Those willing to leave the car for a bit and foot it would be remiss to neglect day-hiking the White Rim Rocks, Table Rock Overlook, or the rim at Blackwater River Gorge.
    fs.usda.gov/mnf


    Image credit: Getty

  • Mt. Rogers NRA via Hurricane Creek Road, North Carolina
    Most know it as the highest country they’ll see from North Carolina to New Hampshire. What they may not know? Car campers can get the same grand experience for less hassle. Drop the 50-pound backpacks and take the highway to the high country by stopping anywhere on the twisting (hence the name) Hurricane Road for access to a 15-mile loop that boasts the best of the grassy balds. It’s the road less travelled, and the high one, at that.
    fs.usda.gov/gwj


    Image credit: wikipedia.org

  • Long Key State Park via the Overseas Highway, Florida
    Hiking can get old; sometimes you’d rather paddle. For a weekend getaway of the coastal variety and quieter version of the Florida Keys that’s no less luxe, stick your head in the sand (and ocean, if snorkeling’s your thing) at any of Long Key’s 60 sites. Canoes and kayaks are aplenty, as are the hot showers and electric power source amenities. Think of it as the getaway from the typical getaway.
    floridastateparks.org/longkey/default.cfm


    Image credit: floridastateparks.org

  • Grand Canyon National Park via Crazy Jug Point, Arizona
    You didn’t think we’d neglect one of the world’s most famous national parks, did you? Nor would we dare lead you astray with one of the busiest parts of the park. With the Colorado River still within view of this cliff-edge site, Crazy Jug is a carside camper’s refuge from the troops of tourists. Find easy access to the Bill Hall Trail less than a mile from camp, and descend to get a peek at the volcanic Mt. Trumbull. (Fear not: It’s about as active as your typical lazy Sunday in front of the tube, if not more peaceful.)
    fs.usda.gov/kaibab


    Image credit: flickr/Irish Typepad

  • As the go-to (weekend) getaway car for fiscally conscious field trips with friends, the 2013 MINI Convertible is your campground racer of choice, allowing you and up to three of your co-pilots to take in all the beauty of nature high and low. And with a fuel efficiency that won’t leave you in the latter, you won’t have to worry about being left stranded (or awkwardly asking to go halfsies on gas expenses).


    Image credit: miniusa.com

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Related Videos

Comments

 0 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

vote
Let's Stop Screwing Around and Impeach James Clapper: After lying to Congress about all the different ways the NSA's spying on us, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lies about how he lied. Call the White House at 202 456-1111 and Tell Obama to Get Rid of Clapper
507 points508 points | 24 comments
vote
Let's Stop Screwing Around and Impeach James Clapper: After lying to Congress about all the different ways the NSA's spying on us, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lies about how he lied. Call the White House at 202 456-1111 and Tell Obama to Get Rid of Clapper
399 points400 points | 30 comments
vote
Yes, there is a better search engine (1998)
90 points91 points | 27 comments
vote
Machiavelli doesn’t belong to the 1 percent | "The Prince" is oft-quoted on Wall Street, but its author was a hero of the working class who despised elites
94 points95 points | 33 comments
vote
Let's Stop Screwing Around and Impeach James Clapper: After lying to Congress about all the different ways the NSA's spying on us, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lies about how he lied. Call the White House at 202 456-1111 and Tell Obama to Get Rid of Clapper
84 points85 points | 9 comments

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "The Joker": Laughing at life's deepest sorrows