Silence & Darkness

Barak Barkan’s 2019 “Silence & Darkness” is a haunting and unsettling exploration of familial bonds, control, and secrets that thrive in isolation, evoking the family drama and control from early works of directors such as Ari Aster, and Yorgos Lanthimos.

With its cold and muted tones and deliberately restrained pacing, the film captures an atmosphere of dread and intimacy, reflecting the story’s complex emotional terrain.

At its heart is the complicity between sisters - Anna, who is deaf and Beth, who is blind - whose disabilities have fostered a deeply intuitive connection. Together, they navigate their insular world, defined by their secluded house and its surrounding nature.

This environment mirrors their limitations, creating a sense of confinement even within its sprawling emptiness. The sisters’ movements are followed by a static camera, a visual choice that underscores the sadness and tension simmering beneath their surface harmony.

Their father, played with chilling ambiguity, is the film’s enigmatic anchor. Initially presented as a caring and attentive parent, his obsessive tendencies and hidden life gradually come to light. A man consumed by his own frustrations and compulsions, he keeps a diary chronicling his daughters’ lives, treating them not as individuals but as subjects of something more unsettling.

His duality - a loving father by day and a manipulative figure by night - raises disturbing questions: What is he hiding? What drives his actions?

The film masterfully unfolds these mysteries in a suspenseful, slow-burn storyline. At just the right length, every scene feels purposeful, and every secondary characters are essential. Barkan’s decision to let the plot breathe without unnecessary embellishment allows the audience to fully absorb the creeping dread and emotional weight of the narrative.

“Silence & Darkness” is not just a psychological thriller; it mediates control, dependency, and the darkness that can lurk beneath even the most seemingly nurturing relationships.

The film’s quiet intensity and stark visual aesthetic make it a standout in the genre, leaving viewers both unsettled and deeply moved.

For fans of slow-burn psychological horror with a profound emotional core, Silence & Darkness is a must-watch. A chilling reminder that sometimes, the scariest monsters are the ones closest to us.