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The Town Is Quiet

Play trailer Poster for The Town Is Quiet 2001 2h 23m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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71% Tomatometer 35 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
"The Town is Quiet" tells the story of several characters whose lives overlap and influence one another in both tragic and uplifting ways. Their paths cross with those of the other finely etched characters to create a rich, insightful fresco of a particular contemporary urban reality, showing, in the words of the director, that at a time when life is more and more meaningless, the town is not quiet.
The Town Is Quiet

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Tough to watch but ultimately rewarding, The Town Is Quiet finds universal truths in individual lives shadowed by tragedy.

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Critics Reviews

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Mark Caro Chicago Tribune 07/20/2002
2.5/4
For all of the apparent naturalness on screen, Guediguian's grim vision comes off as far too calculated. Go to Full Review
Philip Wuntch Dallas Morning News 06/20/2002
B
It's a strong viewing experience but definitely worth the effort. Go to Full Review
Kenneth Turan Los Angeles Times 02/22/2002
4.5/5
It's a pitiless film, uncompromising in what it shows us. Go to Full Review
Film Threat 12/06/2005
3/5
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 07/21/2005
4/5
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 05/08/2004
C+
Too trying and unwieldy to keep my attention. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Dave S 04/09/2023 Set in Marseilles, The Town is Quiet opens with a lengthy panoramic shot of the city that reveals its beauty, at least from a distance. As the film progresses, the characters introduced indicate that things may not be as they appear from far away – it is a city, like so many others, filled with crime, drug abuse, violence, mental health issues, loneliness, and intense sadness. While the first half of the movie sometimes feels aimless, things come together over the remaining hour as the stories of the seemingly disparate characters begin to intertwine. Well-acted throughout and deftly directed by Robert Guediguian, it is undeniably dark and pessimistic about the human condition, but provides some hope in the touching and memorable final scene. See more 06/25/2012 A Bleak, Cold and Merciless Drama... See more 12/14/2011 Beautifully acted, fascinating criticism of contemporary issues like racism and addiction, told with heart and dignity, through the eyes of several unfortunate Marseilles inhabitants and still unfortunately a tad over-long. Jean-Pierre Darroussin and Ariane Ascaride are superb though. See more 03/22/2011 Another excellent film by Guediguian. It seems that his leftist leanings have got a bit less orthodox with time- the bourgeois characters are not depicted as quite as ridiculous as in his prior films. Still, solidarity of the workers of Marseilles in almost hopeless situations is the main thing again. See more 09/26/2010 Not so good very much for my type of choice!!! See more 05/05/2009 French realism with lots of social pathos and a story as stratified as the society it investigates. See more Read all reviews
The Town Is Quiet

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis "The Town is Quiet" tells the story of several characters whose lives overlap and influence one another in both tragic and uplifting ways. Their paths cross with those of the other finely etched characters to create a rich, insightful fresco of a particular contemporary urban reality, showing, in the words of the director, that at a time when life is more and more meaningless, the town is not quiet.
Director
Robert Guédiguian
Screenwriter
Jean-Louis Milesi, Robert Guédiguian
Distributor
New Yorker Films
Production Co
Agat Films & Cie
Genre
Drama
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 26, 2001, Wide
Box Office (Gross USA)
$66.3K
Runtime
2h 23m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.66:1)