The Silence

July 8, 1986. Bright sunshine and sweltering heat shimmer over wheat fields somewhere in Germany. A young girl pedals a bicycle along a lonely path, a red car following behind. Soon the authorities find the girl's body in a nearby lake. Despite an extensive manhunt, the perpetrator is never found. Flash forward to July 8, 2009. Another young girl goes missing at the very same spot. Is it a sign? The police feverishly track the killer, convinced the cases are related. Chief among them is the tormented retired detective who was unable to find the criminal the first time around. He enlists the help of an obsessed young colleague who, having just lost his wife to cancer, is grief-stricken to near madness. Despite its difficult themes of unfathomable loss and despair, THE SILENCE delves into the emotions of the determined cops, the distraught families, and the killers themselves, without resorting to simplistic caricatures or histrionics. With its restrained direction and stylish camera work, THE SILENCE is a tense psychodrama that packs an emotional wallop while providing a showcase for the extraordinary ensemble cast. (In German with subtitles) –B.B.