The Silent Ones

Les Silencieux

Director Basile Vuillemin / 2022 / France,Belgium,Switzerland

Viewer Advice: Strong impact themes.


Obstinacy and recklessness lead a team of fishermen out into dangerous waters.

After four days at sea, the crew of a small trawler have come up with a negligible catch. Second-in-command Jorick urges them to keep casting, breaching the borders of a prohibited zone, where a sickening haul amplifies mounting tensions between co-workers. Capturing the distinctive rhythms of seafaring, including its everyday routines, backbreaking physicality and the shifting power dynamics of male camaraderie, French director Basile Vuillemin raises riveting questions: Is Jorick motivated by desperation? Avarice? Or just plain machismo? Either way, his difficult decision will have profound consequences for everyone tangled in his net.

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