The Whisper of Silence
In Alfonso Quijada’s visually striking debut, a young woman from El Salvador is blessed with an exceptional sense of smell, enabling her to flourish at a local coffee plantation…
Alfonso Quijada was born in 1971 and in various capacities (actor, producer, writer) he has been involved in cinema and television for some thirty years or more. But only now with The Whisper of Silence has he embraced a new role, that of director. What is even more striking is that he has chosen to set this first feature, for which he wrote the screenplay, in El Salvador. Films from that country are rare indeed and, aided by stunning colour photography by Andy Hodgson, this is a work which is well worth investigating.
The central character here is 18-year-old Josefina Moreno sympathetically played by Laura Osma. It is her godmother, Doña Maria (the well-cast Mercy Flores) who is bringing up both Josefina and her student brother Alfredo (William Castillo) since they are without parents (the mother, fondly remembered, is buried in the local cemetery and one imagines that the father had long since ceased to play any part in their lives). What now ensues provides a double storyline. The more significant one is that of Josefina who has inherited an acute sense of smell from her mother and it is only now that she realises that this is a gift which could earn her a place with the tasters who work for Don Fernando Villagran (Boris Barraza) owner of a nearby coffee plantation. We follow Josefina as she takes up this work with such success that in due course she is chosen to represent this plantation in a wide-ranging competition being held in the capital which, as a poor country girl, she has never visited before.
The second plot thread shows how Alfredo starts to neglect his education as he comes under the malign influence of a biker, Miguel (Gonzalo Rivera) eventually joining him and a sidekick in attempting a night-time robbery at a country house owned by Don Gilberto Arana (Fernando Gaviria). That could suggest that the one tale is a violent one while the other with which it is intertwined is not, but that is not exactly the case. The very opening of the film sees a bloodied Josefina arriving home at night in a state of extreme distress and it is evident that she has been a victim of rape of a particularly violent kind. But, for the most part and even when indicating her efforts to overcome the trauma of what has happened to her, the unfolding of Josefina’s tale is largely treated in a restrained and unhurried way. However, the contrast between the two plot lines does involve some rather abrupt intercutting from one to the other and there are times when the dialogue for the boys seems rather banal.
It is also the case that when eventually the tales prove to link up more than might have been expected the storytelling is less smooth than it might be. Nevertheless, an unexpected conclusion does bring out a deep social concern which adds to the weight of the film. Given that this is Quijada's first feature, some roughness is hardly surprising and, regardless of any reservations I had, I was pleased to see his film, not least because of its visual quality. It’s not just a case of the photography doing ample justice to a country only rarely seen on film, but the fact that in a most adventurous way Quijada has opted for an unfamiliar screen ratio, one which is even wider than the old CinemaScope format. The effect is remarkable for it makes the images feel as though they are enfolding the viewer to the extent that one becomes positively caught up in them. That's an extra reason for seeking out a film which, if certainly not flawless, has rewards for the viewer.
Original title: El Suspiro del Silencio.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Cast: Laura Osma, William Castillo, Mercy Flores, Boris Barraza, Gonzalo Rivera, Emy Mena, Juan Carlos Velis, Carlos Aylagas, Fernando Gaviria, Alicia Chong, Luis Balibrera, Anthony Hernandez.
Dir Alfonso Quijada, Pro Andy Hodgson, Screenplay Alfonso Quijada, Ph Andy Hodgson, Pro Des Lourdes Sandoval, Ed Andrés Porras, Music Daniel Velasco, Costumes Andrea Trigueros.
Red Castle Films/Sivela Pictures/Apex Studios S.A. de C.V./Unity Rentals S.A. de C.V.-Bulldog Film Distributors.
93 mins. El Salvador. 2020. US Rel: 7 January 2022. UK Rel: 27 March 2023. Available on digital platforms. Cert. 15.
