The Quiet Room (1996)

Too much of everything

Simply Perfect

How sad is this?

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

I found a used copy of this on ebay and bought it because I saw Bad Boy Bubby (one of Rolf's earlier films) and loved it. While it was completely different, I enjoyed it just as much as I did Bubby.I've read other users complain of how De Heer spells out everything in his films and doesn't give the viewers a chance to pick up on things for themselves... When this movie started, I felt the same way but soon got used to it and was able to look past it. The film is about a girl who decided to quit talking, but we hear narration through out the film, answering all of her parents questions, etc. More silence might have made for a better film, but it also could have made it a bit more boring. It did drag a bit as is, but the girl was great in the movie (even her stupid rhymes) and I couldn't stop watching.Being a child of divorce, one of the fight scenes hit a little close to home. I remember feeling exactly as the girl did when it happened in my family, covering my head trying to block it out, crying etc. This movie took me right back to those times, like it or not.I liked how none of the characters had names and also how small the cast was. The movie works because of how simple it was. I'm curious to see more of Rolf's films now, too bad none of the rental stores here carry any of his stuff.

It was this movie which really opened my eyes to the possibilities of one movie can bring.This is a masterpiece which really brings up the feelings, I mean that sort of tension without word. The girl simply closes herself off, while she wants to speak, in her heart, but none of her parents understand.I was very touched by this movie this is a very great piece of work by Rolf, a classic, I'm looking forward to see "The old man who read love stories" and more of his work in the future.I'd recommend this movie to absolutely everyone, be warned though you have to be more patience while watching.

1st watched 10/15/1999 - 8 out of 10(Dir-Rolf De Heer): Excellent story of a child's perspective on life with parents who are having a hard time making things work.Definetly not a hollywood movie, but rather a slice of real life.Why can't us Americans make more time for movie's like this?(This film is Australian made.)

I got "The Quiet Room" on the basis of the cover in the video store. It was a risk and a risk that was absolutely worth taking.There are few films that attempt to understand the thinking of a kid. There are even fewer films that have an actor that can portray it. In this film there are both.There is nothing cutesy here. The girl, a seven year old, has decided not to speak because of the conflict between her parents. That's essentially it. But there is so much in the honesty of the child's monologue that resonates with any person who has been a child trying to understand the irrational world of grownups.This film is brilliant.