They say silence is golden, but in The Quiet, silence is priceless. Camille Belle (from 2006′s When A Stranger Calls) plays Dot, a mute teenager who has been taken in by her godparents after the untimely death of her father. She’s forced to cope with her loss in a strange house with no one to talk to because, well….she can’t talk.

Not that it bothers her or anything. She enjoys the fact that no one bothers her with pity or false caring whenever she turns around. It’s also nice that she doesn’t have to hear about her new adopted family’s own problems.

Godmother Olivia Deer (perfected by Edie Falco) is a pill popping interior designer who is always sleeping, but always tired. Godsister Nina Deer would be the perfect shoulder to lean on, except that she hates her new houseguest and she has her own social life and cheerleading to worry about. Connor, the hot guy at school, feels a curious attraction towards her and can’t help but get to know her better, which ultimately gains Dot another enemy in Nina’s best friend. Godfather Paul seems to be the only normal one in the bunch…at first, but I guess everyone has their secrets. By choice, Dot exists in her own little world at home and school and the only friend she needs is herself and the family piano. Her lack of verbal communication turns from a blessing into a curse when the people around her use her ailment as an excuse to confide in her and share their shames and secrets, thinking its the safe thing to do. If only they knew their secrets weren’t as safe as they had hoped.

It’s a shame that movies like these often go unnoticed. A limited release (366 theatres) and a 28 day run made sure this movie came and went without so much as a flinch from the autumn moviegoers of 2006. As The Quiet gears up for a DVD release, it again goes unnoticed due to the lack of marketing and all around care from it’s creators. It’s really unfortunate. This film deserves more than the eventual late night showings on your Ted Turner network of choice. Not very often will you see a movie that deals with such taboo subjects and family drama as this one. With a foreseeable plot twist and an ensuing unpredictable one, this film has the potential to become a cult classic the way Donnie Darko did after its own DVD release.