About.com Rating

Horror/suspense fans tired of low-brow, explicit exploitation fare may want to check out The Silence, an absorbing and attractive German thriller that delivers suspense without sacrificing the drama of the human experience.

The Plot

In the summer of 1986, college student Timo (Wotan Wilke Möhring) befriends local handyman Peer (Ulrich Thomsen), the two bonding over a dark, secret obsession they share that culminates one evening with Peer attacking an 11-year-old girl named Pia as she rides home on her bike and inadvertently killing her as Timo watches in horror.

Twenty-three years later to the day, Timo is living a seemingly perfect life as an architect and suburban husband and father of two, but his past rushes back in an instant when he hears on the news that a 13-year-old girl named Sinikka has disappeared, and her bike is found in the very spot where Pia died.

The similarities between the two cases are not lost on the police, particularly veteran detective Krischan Mittich (Burghart Klaußner), who viewed the Pia murder as his white whale. Although he recently retired, Krischan reopens his investigation, lending a hand to fellow detective David Jahn (Sebastian Blomberg), who himself is dealing with the recent death of his wife.

As the hours tick away and a young girl's fate remains uncertain, Timo, the police, Sinikka's parents and even Pia's mother must piece together the mystery to uncover the identity of the shadowy new culprit and figure out his or her motive.

The End Result

The Silence has been compared to the TV series The Killing (either the AMC version or the original Danish show upon which it's based), and rightly so.

Like that series, it's a well-acted, emotion-charged drama whose murder mystery often plays second fiddle to the human element. It's a complex examination of the many facets of humanity in which even those who commit the most heinous acts aren't complete monsters. Like The Killing and the disappointing The Lovely Bones, it's about tragedy and the impact it wreaks on those it touches, from the victims to the perpetrators.

The subject matter is unfathomably dark, but the cinematography is gorgeous, particularly the scenes that take advantage of the natural scenery, and because it takes place in the summer, the weather is warm and sunny -- unlike The Killing -- mitigating the natural dreariness of the material. Writer-director Baran bo Odar meanwhile maintains a sense of urgency and a morbid fascination in a film that in someone else's hands might become unbearable. Despite its nearly two-hour running time, it never becomes dull or depressing, thanks in part to large cast of characters whose nuanced portrayals strike a chord of truth -- terrifyingly so for any parent. Even though the actual mystery culminates in a underwhelming wisp of a climax, the journey is an insightful and discomforting one.

The Skinny

• Acting: B (Excellent portrayals of genuine human emotion.)
• Direction: B (Picturesque and dramatic with enough thrills to maintain tension.)
• Script: B- (Heartfelt drama builds to a modest conclusion.)
• Gore/Effects: C (None to speak of.)
• Overall: B- (A well-written and executed dramatic thriller.)

The Silence is directed by Baran bo Odar and is not rated by the MPAA. Release date: March 8, 2013.

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