Following a highly successful, award-winning festival run, the sci-fi mystery/suspense film “Silent River” will enjoy a one-week theatrical run starting today at Laemmle Glendale. The film will then be available on VOD beginning October 25, distributed by Gravitas Ventures.
“Silent River” centers around Elliot (West Liang, “FBI: Most Wanted”), a man down on his luck who lost his business and is desperate to reconcile with his estranged wife Julie (Amy Tsang; “Love Shot”). Determined, he makes a lengthy trek across the desert, hoping he can convince her to give him a second chance.
Stopping at a roadside motel, he reaches out to a surprised Julie, who informs him she has moved on. Elliot falls into a downward spiral, at a loss for his next move. When he encounters the sultry Greta (Tsang in a dual role)—an uncanny woman on the run from a mysterious past—strange and mysterious occurrences begin to haunt him.
I had the opportunity to screen “Silent River” ahead of its theatrical debut. The film is beautifully shot; in particular, I loved the use of color in some of the fantasy scenes where the reds and purples in the scenery were made to pop against their desert backdrop, making the world almost look alien.
The film is an extremely slow burn, and the shadowy line between reality and dark fantasy sometimes makes the film drag a bit. However, once the film gets going, you’re locked in and ready to go wherever director Chris Chan Lee takes you.
“Silent River” is a surreal viewing experience. One, I admittedly don’t think I completely understood. By the end, I could comprehend what was happening, but connecting all the dots on how we got there might have been a little lost on me. That said, I still enjoyed the film.
If you enjoy surreal filmmaking inspired by the neo-noir work of David Lynch, definitely give this one a shot, especially if you can catch it in the theater. I would have loved to see some of the color work I enjoyed so much on the big screen. You can find showtimes here.
Even if you can’t make it out to L.A. to catch this and want something different to watch, consider looking it up on VOD starting October 25.
