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★★★
Directed by: #TonyGerminario
Written by: Tony Germinario #LynnMancinelli
London Independent Film Festival Review by: #ChrisBuick
Kira (Lynn Mancinelli) is a young woman suffering from vivid nightmares surrounding a horrific sexual assault when she was younger, a past that she is desperately trying to run away from. Living on her own and without any kind of support structure around her (especially not her ethically corrupt therapist), she massively over-indulges in drink, drugs and other vices, using these dependencies as an escape from it all. But after her father passes away, Kira must return to her family home to attend the funeral, where she is faced with having to deal with the demons of her past, as well as the presence of the Davenports, the towns most powerful family and the ones who also paid her for her silence.
Having won a number of awards including Best Low-Budget Feature at the #LondonIndependentFilmFestival, The Price for Silence highlights some very important and contemporary issues, looking at the subject of sexual assault and how destructive it can be to both the individuals involved and their families, as well as the overall mistreatment of women by a male dominated society. It is a gritty telling, that is uncomfortable and unforgiving at times but also feels real and honest.
Lynn Mancinelli, who co-wrote the story with Germinario, really is an acting tour-de-force as the immensely troubled Kira trying to put on a brave face for it all. From start to finish, Mancinelli repeatedly shows the vast range she has as a deservedly award-winning actress and the chemistry between herself and Emrhys Cooper as her brother Lucas is great to watch.
There is also a starring turn from Richard Thomas (Emmy award winner for his role in The Waltons) who sinks his teeth into the role of the apparent town hero with a much darker side. The rest of the cast does seem to take some time to get on the same level performance wise, but they really do hit their strides later in the film.
This can be said for the overall film itself, which feels a bit sluggish to begin with. Although all the groundwork that is established early on in terms of subplots and backstory does ultimately pay off in the end, you get the sense that this film could have been trimmed down to help avoid some lulls in pace. But thankfully, the film does manage to find the right gear and goes on to produce an enthralling watch for the latter half of the film. There are also a couple of moments where the film is somewhat heavy handed in establishing Richard Thomas’ character as the villain of the piece, but Thomas excels at what he does, as you would expect from an actor of his calibre.
The Price for Silence is a film with a lot of import things to say, especially in the wake of the #metoo movement and is easy to see why so many plaudits have been bestowed on it.
There are some pacing issues and it does take some time finding its feet, but overall this is a well-crafted drama that deserves praise.
Watch the official movie trailer below.
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