The silence speaks volumes

Rating: 8/10 (5 February 2020)

When reading the summary the concept may seem a hackneyed attempt at attention grabbing hyperbole. The problem with such far-fetched ideas is an execution that seems solely concerned with rinsing the limits of possibility. This little gem, however, grounds itself in realism and as a result does the fiction, and the science, justice.
Most people will recognise the male lead, writer and director from the US office, and while he competently pulled off that role as a loveable funny man, hardly anyone would have guessed that he could adapt his talents to such an incongruous project. Most people and myself were wrong.
Jim masterfully uses a combination of mise en scene, diegetic and non diegetic sound to capture the audience and tell a story that has no dialogue (save sign language) for the first half hour - a feat in itself. The characters' stories, emotions and actions are all deftly portrayed with a sense of realism that has you sympathizing and pontificating as to how, why and what will happen next.
The concept lends itself to tension but such opportunity often leads to overuse, exaggeration and inevitably implausible outcomes. Subtle exploitation of the prevailing idea is the case here though. The result is a tense thriller that has you invested in the characters and curious about the origins and outcomes of the story.