FILM INFO: A BEAUTIFUL SILENCE follows a young woman as she struggles with faith and doubt. We shift from past to present as she comes to terms with this inner conflict.
WRITTEN BY: Steven Adam Renkovish DIRECTED BY: Steven Adam Renkovish GENRE: Drama TIME: 16 Minutes
Faith. That's what it always come down to in the end. Do you have faith or simply believe? These are two completely different things; in the world we live today especially. Spirituality can change everything even when it seems nothing has changed. The divine, doubt and distrust. The Church and humanity of the people contained within. Does God really watch over us? Or has he abandoned us? In a world driven now by science and technology, our faith is tested every minute. Although not explicitly spelled out in "A Beautiful Silence," the doubts of the modern individual, to me anyhow, mirror just what I wrote above. Where are you God? Show me a sign! In the old days, a large rain during a drought, or even a severe thunder storm was enough proof for the faithful. Now, with our level of science and understanding, proof... or a miracle as they say, is harder to come by. True believers don't need any of this, but the rest of us are always wondering. Steven Adam Renkovish attempts to bring this crisis to light, in a roundabout kind of way. On many levels he manages to bring our modern thoughts on the subject to the surface, but also manages to essentially leave things the way they are. The true issue plaguing "A Beautiful Silence" is just what the title implies. The silence. Even open ended stories or films that involve religion, even loosely, contain a clear cut path. A self realization or "explainable miracle" to help wrap up the given story. No such element exists here, at least that I seen anyhow. As "real" or "gritty" as this short film is, there's not a lot here to make it a real, strong story. I'm all for independent films being original, and not sticking to the norm-- however, I was left feeling exactly the same way when the credits rolled, as I did when the movie started. That's not to say this was a bad thing, actually, it's a very realistic approach since true life is just the same. This however, is a short film... not real life. If any true criticism can be made, it's that "A Beautiful Silence" feels just like the narrative presented by our lead character. Not so much a story with a purpose, rather a collection of confused and desperate muses. This may be one hundred percent accurate for many of the faithful, but it makes for a directionless film. Or maybe, just maybe... that was the entire point. The technical aspects play out just like you think when considering this is an indie, low budget flick. Shaky camera work during one scene, and locked off during the next. Some crisp clear audio, followed by some... less than stellar recordings. You love indie film? Well here it is but do you know what? A lot of it could have been done so much better. Have a character walking through the woods? Use a tripod! "All over the place" camera work can be avoided, even if you're broke. I would rather see a locked off shot of someone walking, than a shot following the character, and shaking all over the place. It just looks better. Period. Regarding the coloring, so much more could have been done. You don't need to hire a pro simply to adjust the hue of a shot during the edit. This wasn't done here. Aside from people having weirdly pink skin at times, the film will cut from one shot to another angle, and our character will have a different skin color completely. It's these little things that are so easy to fix, yet overlooked so much. They make all the difference in the world. In the end, "A Beautiful Silence" is a solid short film. Nothing groundbreaking, yet not a terribly bad piece of art. Many indie films are quite bad, not the case here. The good far outweighs the technical limitations and as a finished film, this is not time wasted. Any production, studio or indie that brings questions to mind, and keeps you watching until the end is a good one. The cast perform their roles well enough to keep things interesting and real, and at the same time, make you realize that maybe, just maybe... you're really not alone when you have your questions and doubts. Or maybe you are. that's both the beauty and the beast here. Currently, this is a free film which is all the more reason to sit down and have a look. It may not be the next Oscar winner, but either are most of your favorite films and television shows. Why not give this one a view and tell us what "you" think. -MC
