Dahlia Gillespie (film)

Dahlia Gillespie is the tritagonist in the 2006 film Silent Hill, and a minor character in the 2012 film Silent Hill: Revelation. She is a former member of the fanatical cult known as the Brethren, which is based in the town of Silent Hill, West Virginia. She is the mother of Alessa Gillespie and sister of Christabella and Claudia.
She is portrayed by Deborah Kara Unger.
== Biography ==
Alessa's mother, Dahlia was convinced by Christabella to "purify" her daughter, leading to Alessa's burning. Dahlia is banished from the Cult after realising the error of her ways, now wandering Silent Hill as the only citizen to be unharmed by Alessa's monsters, and becomes quite frantic when Rose, Cybil and Sharon appear in town. She was deceived by the cult and as the result her daughter was burnt. She couldn't do nothing and when she brought help it was too late. Dahlia couldn't forgive herself and never saw Alessa afterwards.
== Silent Hill: Revelation ==
Dahlia appears in Silent Hill: Revelation, the sequel to Silent Hill. Dahlia appears to have adapted her physical personality from the original game, rather than the ragged being she was in the first film. She is still apparently trapped in the Fog World of Silent Hill, but she doesn't seem to mind.
Heather Mason, an older, renamed version of Sharon, meets Dahlia and accuses her of letting the Order, the new version of the first film's cult, burn Alessa. Dahlia sorrowfully denies this, stating that she loved her daughter dearly, but was tricked by the cult into giving her up. Heather asks about why the Order wants her. Dahlia explains that the Order wants to recombine Alessa's soul so they can force her to give birth to their god. The Otherworld then takes over, and Dahlia tells Heather to run and find shelter inside, where it is slightly safer.
Dahlia's fate is ultimately unknown, but she is presumably alive and still trapped in the Fog World of Silent Hill. In the original script, Dahlia dies, but the script isn't necessarily canon to the film. Considering how Christopher Da Silva is still in the Fog World to search for Rose, it can be theorized that Dahlia will act as a guide for Chris.
== Trivia ==
* In the original script, Dahlia quotes excerpts from the 1948 book The Book of Mirdad. It presumably inspired her metaphorical way of speaking.
* Unlike her game counterpart, Dahlia is a sympathetic character, not the villain. This was done with the intention and hopes of making her from a one-dimensional villain to a complex character with depth.
** Some fans dislike that the film changed a despicable mother who burned and kept her child in torment to birth a god into an empathetic mother. Defenders of the film argue that Christabella fulfills Dahlia's original role. In addition, a similarity between both Dahlia in the game and Dahlia in the film is that they are both "flawed" mothers, unable to help and protect Alessa, but they are flawed in their own unique ways.
* Both director Christophe Gans and Deborah Kara Unger refer to Dahlia as "Cassandra Dahlia". This is a reference to the Greek story of Cassandra, who had the gift of foresight, but was cursed to be believed by no one (often called "Cassandra Truth or Cassandra metaphor).
** Similarly, Dahlia speaks the truth of the alternate reality and warns Rose of the decision she will eventually have to make, but her words are ignored by the cult, Rose and Cybil.
* Dahlia speaks extremely softly throughout the film and is sometimes very hard to hear. This was to show that Dahlia wasn't able to be strong and speak for herself.
* Given the vast number of mannequins and mannequin parts seen in her apartment, it is likely that Dahlia was a mannequin maker before the fire. Her apartment is also full of antiques, a probable reference to her game counterpart who is a proprietor of an antique shop.
* Dahlia is seen holding Rose's pendant in Revelation.
* In the original script of Revelation, Dahlia dies and her body is found on the streets of Silent Hill in the final scene, and Heather says Dahlia probably found what she always wanted: peace. In the final version, however, Dahlia presumably lives.
** It is unknown why this change occurred, although it may be because "peace by death" is still somewhat of a taboo, controversial or misunderstood idea for many Westerners.
Category:Silent Hill Heroes
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Category:False Antagonist
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Category:Mentally Ill
Category:Elderly
Category:Redeemed Villains
Category:Adaptational Heroism