A Place Called Silence (2024)
SINOPSIS
This gruesome and moralising schlock-horror about the terrible effects of high school bullying and overprotective parents never lets up with the pounding rain. When the original male lead became involved in a #MeToo issue, Malaysian filmmaker Sam Quah decided to take an unconventional approach and recast his own 2022 film, preventing a Chinese release. Now that Quah's efforts have paid off, the 2024 version is a box office success throughout East Asia.
The tale revolves around Li Han (Ning Chang), a stunning, pious, and seemingly dedicated single mother who, in order to be near her silent daughter Tong (Shengdi Wang), has taken up a cleaning duty at the school. It's a shame that there's a killer on the prowl who targets youngsters at the school and wears cagoules.
A Place Called Silence is obviously an attempt at societal commentary, but it's not as sophisticated as Hirokazu Kore-eda's recently released Monster, which has a similar premise, or as darkly comedic as the genre classic Heathers. Instead, there are startlingly funny caricatures - the incompetent local police officers and the overbearing landlady. These, along with a tonne of thrilling set pieces and appropriate story turns, kept us thoroughly entertained. Unless, naturally, you've already watched the original from 2022.
CAST
- Ning Chang
- Eric Wang
- Jian-wei Huang
- Francis Ng
- Ivy Yin
- Wu Kang-ren
- Heme Liao
- Carolyn Chen
- Hsieh Ying-xuan
- Tuo Tsung-hua
- Ven Kao
- Michael Chang