Synopsis
Desperate to reconcile with his estranged wife, Elliot stops at a desert motel where he encounters Greta, an uncanny woman on the run from a mysterious past.
Silent River
2021 Directed by Chris Chan Lee
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Releases by Date
Premiere
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USA
Theatrical limited
14 Oct 2022
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USA
Digital
25 Oct 2022
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USA
Releases by Country
USA
25 Sep 2021
- Premiere
14 Oct 2022
- Theatrical limited
25 Oct 2022
- Digital
Popular reviews
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This is a very strange dry suspense film about a guy who driving thru this desert town stops at a hotel and we spend a lot of time with him as he gets involved with this woman also staying at the hotel and the supremely weird thing that she's up to which uhhh may or may not involve the body being hidden in her closet. More than that I cannot say without spoiling this and given that it hasn't come out in general release yet giving people the option to watch it, I probably shouldn't, but I will talk about the odd blend of tones this has which is probably why I liked it as much as I did.
As…
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A mind bender noirish thriller, built from minimal materials, that may or may not have a clear explanation.
A man’s life is crumbling (his business has closed and his wife has “moved in”) while he stays in a hotel room, and his experience goes from mundane to surreal as strange events pile up: there are knocks on the door when no one is there, he tries to leave (in a dream?) and wakes up on the ground outside, people block his way out if an elevator and act as though they can’t see him, etc. He has frightening dreams and the difference between dreams and reality is blurred; it’s unclear if the place or people are real at all. It’s…
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This is not a "weird dreamlike film with a sf twist". There is no twist and - despite what the movie itself directly says to you, there isn't any sf here. There's a science fiction element, but that element is itself a dreamlike flutter of memory. I would add that, when people talk about representation in film, this kind of thing is what comes to my mind, not parts in gigantic blockbusters that obliterate an actor's career in a shared universe for years to come. This is an Asian-American led film that calls on its actors to try something. Whether it works for you or not is up to you, but the opportunity to pursue and produce this work is what representation is really about, in my opinion. It worked for me. It really worked for me a lot.
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So, thirty minutes in and im like, what the hell is going on?
So, one hour in and i still dont know whats going on, but its definitely sci-fi.
Well it certainly does take a while for this flick to get started, but its somewhat captivating along the way to get there. Sadly the whole thing isn't worth it. Sure the director tapped into his Lynchian talents, created a somewhat interesting story, hired a handful of actors, and secured the rights to film in a Motel, but the whole thing just drags and drags to nothing.
Hey folks, remember i watch these duds so you dont have to. But this is just all my opinion.
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Silent River works best when it’s keeping its audience at arm’s length.
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Outstanding Courage in Filmmaking at Tallgrass Film Festival 2021:
Winner: Silent River directed by Chris Chan Lee, produced by Chris Chan Lee, Robert Cho, West Liang -
From Cine-FILE
A slow pan from within a car traveling through the American West begins with the road ahead, the driver visible briefly in the rearview mirror, then floats slowly past the passenger-side windows before settling on the view looking backward. It's a deliberate and intentional scene-setting for what Elliot (West Liang), the driver, will experience over the next two hours, days, or years—time isn't working correctly for this man at all. Elliott has shuttered his car repair shop, leaving his former employees enraged, and taken to the road in a last-ditch attempt to salvage his marriage to Julie (Amy Tsang). He stops at a roadside motor lodge, and everything goes sideways. Phantom knocks on the door, clocks not working,…
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