Wikipedia

A Silence

A Silence (French: Un silence) is a 2023 drama film directed by Joachim Lafosse. The film stars Daniel Auteuil and Emmanuelle Devos. It premiered on 25 September 2023 at the 71st San Sebastián International Film Festival. It was released in France on 10 January 2024. The film is based on the real case of disgraced Belgian lawyer Victor Hissel.[1]

A Silence
Theatrical release poster
FrenchUn silence
Directed byJoachim Lafosse
Written by
  • Joachim Lafosse
  • Thomas Van Zuylen
Produced by
  • Anton Iffland-Stettner[1]
  • Eva Kuperman[1]
  • Jani Thiltges[1]
  • Régine Vial[1]
  • Alexis Dantec[1]
  • Antonino Lombardo[1]
Starring
CinematographyJean-François Hensgens[2]
Edited byDamien Keyeux[2]
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • Les Films du Losange (France)
  • Samsa Film (Luxembourg)
  • Cinéart (Belgium)
Release dates
  • 25 September 2023 (2023-09-25) (San Sebastián)
  • 10 January 2024 (2024-01-10) (France)
  • 17 January 2024 (2024-01-17) (Luxembourg)
  • 24 January 2024 (2024-01-24) (Belgium)
Running time
99 minutes[3]
Countries
  • Belgium
  • Luxembourg
  • France
LanguageFrench[2]
Box office$1.9 million[4]

Premise

edit

"Having remained silent for 25 years, Astrid, the wife of a prominent lawyer, sees her family's equilibrium shatter when her children initiate their quest for justice."[3][5]

Cast

edit
  • Daniel Auteuil as François Schaar
  • Emmanuelle Devos as Astrid Schaar
  • Matthieu Galoux as Raphaël Schaar
  • Jeanne Cherhal as Inspector Colin
  • Louise Chevillotte as Caroline
  • Nicolas Buysse as Gillet
  • Karim Barras as Barras
  • Larisa Faber as Christelle Guérin
  • Baptiste Sornin as Etienne Guérin
  • Shann Case as Shann
  • Massimo Riggi as Reporter 1
  • Colette Kieffer as Reporter 2
  • Elsa Rauchs as Reporter 3
  • Jonas Wertz as Reporter 4
  • Ismaël Michiels as Ismaël
  • Damien Bonnard as Pierre
  • Magali Pinglaut as François Schaar's lawyer
  • Laure Hemmer as Barrister
  • Raphaëlle Bruneau as Mrs. Sautiaux

[6]

Production

edit

The screenplay was written chiefly by Lafosse with Thomas Van Zuylen.[1] Chloé Duponchelle and Paul Ismaël served as co-writers. Sarah Chiche, Matthieu Reynaert, and Valérie Graeven are credited as writing collaborators.[3]

A Silence is a co-production between Stenola Productions (Belgium), Samsa Film (Luxembourg), Les Films du Losange (France) and Prime Time (Belgium).[7] It was co-produced by RTBF, Proximus, VOO, BE TV and France 3 Cinéma.[3]

Release

edit

A Silence was selected to compete for the Golden Shell at the 71st San Sebastián International Film Festival,[8] where the film had its world premiere on 25 September 2023.[9]

World sales are handled by Les Films du Losange,[7] which also distributed the film in France on 10 January 2024.[3] Samsa Film distributed the film in Luxembourg on 17 January 2024.[10] Cinéart is set to theatrically release the film in Belgium on 24 January 2024.[11]

Reception

edit

Critical response

edit

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 82% based on 17 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10.[12] On AlloCiné, the film received an average rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, based on 28 reviews from French critics.[13]

Guy Lodge of Variety wrote that "there is a gasping power to its staggered reveals, and a searching sadness to the emerging family portrait that outweighs the film's shock factor".[1]

Accolades

edit
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
San Sebastián International Film Festival 30 September 2023 Golden Shell Joachim Lafosse Nominated [14]
Rome Film Festival 28 October 2023 Best Director Won [15]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lodge, Guy (26 September 2023). "'A Silence' Review: Joachim Lafosse's Gradually Shattering Probe Into Toxic Family Secrets". Variety. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "UN SILENCE / A SILENCE". San Sebastián International Film Festival. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e "A Silence". Les Films du Losange. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  4. ^ "A Silence (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  5. ^ Bałaga, Marta (27 September 2023). "Joachim Lafosse Speaks Out About Abuse in 'A Silence,' and So Should You: 'I Also Refused to See Myself as a Victim'". Variety. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  6. ^ "A SILENCE Press Kit" (PDF). Les Films du Losange. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  7. ^ a b Engelen, Aurore (25 September 2023). "Review: A Silence". Cineuropa. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  8. ^ Roxborough, Scott (7 July 2023). "San Sebastian Film Fest Unveils First Competition Titles". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Monday 25th". San Sebastián International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. ^ "Après une sortie remarquée et un excellent démarrage au box-office en France mercredi dernier, "UN SILENCE", le nouveau long-métrage de Joachim Lafosse, sort ce mercredi 17 janvier dans les salles au Luxembourg". Samsa Film. Facebook. 16 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Un Silence" (in French). Cinéart. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  12. ^ "A Silence". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Critiques Presse pour le film Un silence". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  14. ^ Hopewell, John (25 August 2023). "San Sebastian Competition: Cate Blanchett-Produced 'Fingernails' and 'The Royal Hotel' With 'Matrix' Stars Added to Lineup". Variety. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  15. ^ Scarpa, Vittoria (30 October 2023). "Toll triumphs at the 18th Rome Film Fest". Cineuropa. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Silence&oldid=1253656786"