Streaming Service: AMC+
Movie Name/Year: Silent Night (2021)
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Length: 92 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Production/Distribution: Maven Screen Media, Marv Films, BfParis, Shaw
Organisation, AMC+, Altitude Film Entertainment, Capelight Pictures, Husky
Films, Madman Entertainment, RLJE Films
Director: Camille Griffin
Writer: Camille Griffin
Actors: Annabelle Wallis, Davida
McKenzie, Gilby Griffin Davis, Hardy Griffin Davis, Holly Aird, Keira
Knightley, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Lily-Rose Melody Depp, Lucy Punch, Matthew
Goode, Roman Griffin Davis, Rufus Jones, Sope Dirisu, Trudie Styler
IMDb Blurb: Nell, Simon, and their son Art
are ready to welcome friends and family for what promises to be a perfect
Christmas gathering. Perfect except for one thing: everyone is going to die.
Cat’s Point of View:
The words that came to mind as the credits rolled for Silent Night were “Holy shit!”
Silent Night went
into an abyssal level of deep darkness with its dry comedy. The entire
experience was an emotional rollercoaster…in flames. I was laughing one minute,
cringing the next, and nearly in tears just a few moments later.
The trailer had significantly piqued my interest. I have to
admit that the availability of Silent
Night for streaming on AMC+ was one of the plethora of strong selling
points for subscribing to the service. I digress… Silent Night certainly delivered and exceeded my expectations.
I’m saddened that I see so many negative reviews – saying it’s
slow, the darkness doesn’t have actual comedy relief, or that the satire doesn’t
land. I don’t really agree with these. Alright, I will have to concede that the
pacing is a little slower than it could have been; but I believe that was done
purposefully considering it’s underscoring that the characters are trying to
eke out as much life as possible before the end comes.
Silent Night went
on a deep dive that resonated, perhaps, a little harshly in this era of
pandemic and climate change. To be fair, however, the film was already mostly
done before the UK went into its first pandemic lockdown. The social commentary
within predated Covid-19 and was meant to target class disparity, mass fear mentality,
and climate change. I feel that Silent
Night accomplished all that – without beating those points over your head.
The cast was phenomenal in their roles. Of course, Keira
Knightley (The Imitation Game, Collateral
Beauty, Misbehaviour) and Matthew Goode (Downton Abbey, Official Secrets, A Discovery of Witches) were a
significant draw for me to watch. They didn’t disappoint. Another stand-out
among the cast was Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo
Rabbit, Felicità - La stagione delle buone notizie). His talent really
belies his age. I believed every moment of his emotional journey.
Silent Night isn’t
a production you’d want to put on during a happy and festive holiday gathering,
just based on its bleakness. While I understand it’s a bit divisive, I would
heartily recommend at least giving it a shot. Just maybe line up something fun
and uplifting to follow it.
Rotten
Tomatoes Critic Score – 62%
Rotten
Tomatoes Audience Score – 49%
Metascore – 52%
Metacritic
User Score – 4.6/10
IMDB
Score – 5.7 /10
Trust
the Dice: Parental Guidance Rating – R
Trust
the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5
Movie
Trailer:
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