Un Silence
Intense psychological family drama by Joachim Lafosse (Les Intranquilles, À Perdre La Raison) about a lawyer with a disturbing secret. Based on the high-profile Belgian trial of lawyer Victor Hissel.
The Schaar family leads a privileged life on a large walled estate. Father François enjoys national fame because he was involved in one of the biggest court cases of recent years. His family’s life becomes profoundly disrupted when it turns out that son Raphaël is wanted by the police. And there is also something shady going on with François. All family members keep quiet about it, but the silence becomes increasingly oppressive.
Joachim Lafosse based his best film (À PERDRE LA RAISON, 2012) on a well-known Belgian court case and rises to great heights again with that same approach in UN SILENCE. The film is based on the trial of Victor Hissel, the lawyer who gained national fame in Belgium by assisting the victims of Marc Dutroux. Those who know the case also know the horrific trauma of the Schaar family, but Lafosse assumes viewers are not familiar with the case and constructs his film like a mystery thriller. Slowly, he drags us into the abyss. (mv)