A Question of Silence

R

Released Jan 1, 1982

1h 32m

Drama

List

90%

Tomatometer

10 Reviews

61%

Audience Score

100+ Ratings

A court psychiatrist (Cox Habbema) ponders three Dutchwomen, all strangers, on trial for killing a male shopkeeper.

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Derek Smith

Slant Magazine

Marleen Gorris’s striking, provocative debut has lost none of its righteous, subversive force.

Jun 8, 2023

Full Review

Kathy Fennessy

Seattle Film Blog

A Question of Silence proved she had the touch. [Marleen] Gorris's depiction of three seemingly ordinary Amsterdam women--who had never met before--committing a brutal crime, still has the ability to shock.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 1, 2023

Full Review

Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

With "A Question of Silence," modern audiences can see that what Gorris explores as an issue-of-the-day remains frustratingly ever true.

Jul 12, 2023

Full Review

Julie Ogletree

Gay Community News (Boston)

This film contains much stimulation; I guarantee you will not leave the theater in silence.

Sep 21, 2022

Full Review

Cindy Patton

Gay Community News (Boston)

The juxtaposition of silence and speech with surreal cinematography and montage make A Question of Silence a complex and very European film.

May 12, 2022

Full Review

Frances Maurer

Film Inquiry

Despite its unfortunate inaccessibility, A Question of Silence is an important work that delivers rage, catharsis, and the hope for solidarity.

Dec 3, 2020

Full Review

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s r

1001 movies to see before you die. This was a unique courtroom drama mixed with a murder based around feminist themes. It was well made, but not one I need to see again. It felt like a tv movie. The soundtrack was remarkable. It was on Dailymotion.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

William L

'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Murderous Intent, or, How I Learned to Treat Women with Respect so They Won't Murder Me.' This film wasn't made for me, let's just get that out of the way up front. A Question of Silence is an overtly feminist film that isn't exactly languishing in subtlety; three unrelated women incidentally converge on a boutique only to kill its male owner in broad daylight, his condescending attitude simultaneously bringing to a head their respective lifelong experiences of being subjugated by a male-dominated society. The circumstances of their motivations as well as details of the crime itself are gradually revealed through flashback and reflection with a psychiatrist, Habbema's Dr. Janine van den Bos, who comes to empathize with them. The female characters are given this universal, scarcely differentiated experience of suffering that forms an unspoken kinship, inspiring occasional bouts of rebellion that may or may not happen to take the form of disemboweling a man with a plastic coathanger. The film is intended more to inspire discussion on the 'quiet' subjugation of women in the form of a patriarchal society that offers technical equality while maintaining social practices that oppose true respect and acceptance, rather than an explicit promotion of vigilante retribution against men who disrespect women (which is the misinterpretation that seems to generate much of the film's controversy). Thematically, A Question of Silence actually seems a bit tame by today's more widespread acceptance of feminist film, but Gorris' work remains an important stepping stone in that acceptance. I'll have to take extra care when out shopping not to disrespect someone on the basis of gender so as to avoid becoming an unseen, graphically described corpse. (3/5)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/07/21

Full Review

Audience Member

Loved it, used it in my women's studies classes. Have your women friends over to share a bottle of wine or three, and watch this film together.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

So much Mansplaining! Loved all of the unspoken communication here, the comradery of the women together came from a shared understanding of oppression. If I was a man watching this film, I might not get it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A female psychiatrist must establish whether three women unknown to each other who murdered a male boutique owner are mentally sane. A feminist reflection on frustrations and unhappiness, can be praised for character development though it is not as impressive in plot and resolution.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Really falls apart at the end to a glorious, nonsensical extent.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

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Marleen Gorris

Director

Cox Habbema

Psychiater

Edda Barends

Huisfrouw

Nelly Frijda

Koffiejuffrouw

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Synopsis

A court psychiatrist (Cox Habbema) ponders three Dutchwomen, all strangers, on trial for killing a male shopkeeper.

Director: Marleen Gorris
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1982, Wide
Runtime: 1h 32m

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