The Silence

Subtitled in English, this story of a 10-year old blind boy's experiences is visually and aurally intertwined. Filled with striking scenes and hypnotic music, the production is unique and riveting. The camera wanders through the bazaars and shops of Tajikistan providing a glimpse into a culture not well known to Westerners. The interplay between the boy and the beautiful young woman who acts as his eyes is touching, filled with humor, and played with a simple elegance. The distractions encountered by the boy on his way from home to work are a delight. Supporting roles are well played. The harmonies of the music, the city, and everyday life produce a funny and profound film well worth watching.

Like a young Odysseus, little Khorshid travels life's journey in search for his musical Ithaca, wandering into adventures involving modern-age Sirens lurking in every corner, a 'faithful Penelope's' principle in the heart of his despondent mother, a coming of age Calypso falling in love with his unique outlook - and even a Cyclops figure, a grieving ogre to be defeated out of his strictly one-dimensional view.

For the film's short running time, our sprite of a protagonist follows lyrical beauty amidst the darkness -- and has me doing exactly the same by following him, completely and utterly charmed by his antithetically stunning in colour, deeply multilayered, poetic innocence.

"The Silence" is not an ordinary movie even though it looks simple. It is the story of a blind boy Hursit who is trying to make both his and mother's living by tuning instruments in local traditional instrument shop.His father has apparently left his family to Russia and Hursit and the mother is having a hard time because they can't pay the rent and they are faced with the dancer of being thrown to the street. The movie uses Beethoven's 5th Symphony in the final scene. The scenery of bazaars,the local imagery of an Eastern town,the local instrument builders and vendors add so much to the atmosphere to the movie. And a little note for those who have just recognized the Iranian movie..Before the Islamic revolution in Iran, the director of the movie was a political activist and because of that he was jailed for more than 4 years, and was let out of jail only after the revolution. After the revolution he abandoned politics, because he had believed that the chief problem in Iran was the cultural one. The movie was also banned in Iran.If you like simple real stories about real life I suggest you see the movie.

What worked:

• the theme of the movie; the general theme of the movie is appealing and strong. The movie helps gain more insight into a new society that I did not know much about. What works is the innocence that the blind character portrays in the movie

What did not know:

• acting; the acting is not convincing and relatable. Maybe the movie has its cultural significance, it failed to impress as a world viewer
• screenplay; although the overall concept is good, the movie does not carry that concept into a strong narrative

Final verdict: if you want to see something different, go for it

This is simply the most beautiful movie I've ever seen. It revitalized all my senses. It helps to have some information about the cultural background of the movie. The fact that it takes place in Tajikistan an X-soviet republic, of Iranian ethnicity and Persian language etc.