The Silence

A young woman gets a lift and ends up having a conversation about people disappearing.

The story takes place in Sri Lanka, in an area where multiple disappearances have occurred. In the countryside, a man (Sandaruwan) is driving a tractor with a middle-aged woman (Ranasinghe) as a passenger into town. They are stopped by a man on a motorbike, who requests that the young woman with him (Pigera) is also given a lift into town. As the journey continues, the two women, along with a third middle-aged woman (Mohan) who hops on later, engage in a dramatic conversation regarding young men going missing, two of which are sons to the middle-aged women.

The main thing in this short drama is how the disappearances of two male youths have affected their mothers. The two mothers know each other and both are carrying a framed picture of their offspring. Their children were apparently abducted and have been missing for many years and they explain to the young woman how devastated they are by not knowing what has happened to their loved one and they blame people's ignorance and the government for what they are going through. However, the young woman does not sympathise with them and appears to be more concerned about the mobile phone that she lost during the journey.

Bandaranayake directs very well and creates shots that capture the beauty of the surrounding nature and the presence of the Monument for the Disappeared is quite emotional and adds significant value to the film. Lahiru Madiwila makes a good contribution with the melancholic music that includes wonderful piano melodies.

One obvious goal of this short is to raise awareness of abduction and the effects this terrible occurrence has on the missing person's loved ones. As far as the story goes, this is an emotional one that contains dramatic dialogue and effectively explores the pain that the characters are going through. The serious issues that this film deals with make it a thoughtful viewing.