Dream and Silence (2012)

Directed by: Jaime Rosales
Country: Spain / France

Movie Review: Fourth feature film by Spanish filmmaker from Barcelona, Jaime Rosales, is an astounding study on family, dreams, and silences that heal. With influences of Robert Bresson and Victor Erice, Rosales presents us magnificent sequential segments drawn by preponderant steady shots, and bold camera movements (like moving in the opposite direction of its characters towards the unknown, or lurking insistently whether from afar or closely). In a contrasted black-and-white, the image sequences seemed to disperse themselves from time to time (following its characters), leaving to the viewers the task of putting together the pieces of the puzzle. Yolanda is a Spanish teacher in France, where she lives with her architect husband, Oriol, and two daughters. A terrible accident in Spain will make irreversible changes in their lives. The way Rosales found to tell such a simple story is simply ingenious and almost surreal. The calmness presented in several details from everyday life and some conversations, don’t let us forget the depressive states of despair and anguish in the case of Yolanda, or the strange and laid-back behavior in the case of Oriol in face of problems. I felt completely immersed in its enigmatic structure, insinuations, and occasionally abrupt silences. “Dream and Silence”, in its elegant and distinctive disposition, shall delight art-house lovers, as well as enthusiasts of unconventional storytelling.