A PLACE CALLED SILENCE (默杀) (2024)

Genre: Crime/Thriller
Director: Sam Quah
Cast: Wang Chuanjun, Ning Chang, Francis Ng, Wang Sheng Di, Chin Shih-chieh, Xu Jiao
Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins
Rating: NC16 (Mature Theme & Violence)
Released By: mm2 Entertainment
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 15 August 2024

Synopsis: A middle school girl named Huijun falls to her death after being bullied, leading to a series of mysterious deaths among the bullies, and violence towards Huijun’s best friend at school, Xiaotong. As the investigation progresses, old secrets of concealment and corruption are about to be revealed.

Movie Review:

This movie directed by Malaysian born Sam Quah is difficult to watch. Don’t get us wrong, we mean this in a good way, because the crime thriller forces audiences to see up close the horrors of bullying.

In particular, there is a scene in the 119 minute movie which can be extremely disturbing for some viewers. It involves a girl with special needs (Xu Jiao) getting bullied by a group of cruel schoolmates. The sequence goes on for quite a while, and it makes you think about the tremendous physical and mental pain the victim has to go through should this happen in real life. Expectedly, this incident ends in tragedy.

Based on a news article about a mother's efforts to find her murdered daughter which Quah came across while pursuing his master’s degree, the movie wastes no time in gripping your senses. In an early scene, we see a group of mean girls messing up a mute girl named Xiaotong (Wang Sheng Di) with glue. The victim is the daughter of the school cleaner Li Han (Ning Chang), who gave up her well paying accountant job to spend time with her child. It also turns out that one of the bullies is the daughter of the school principal, which explains why these misdeeds have not been reported.

The bullies begin to disappear, as if they have been gotten rid of for their sins. Through a series of flashback sequences and ultra violent scenes, the story begins uncovering the truth to what really happened, with a number of red herrings thrown in.

Like any other movies of the similar genre (Ko Chien-Nien The Silent Forest comes to mind), there are other characters that will have audiences guessing who the killer is. There is a mysterious man (Wang Chuanjun) working for a charity foundation, a world weary police detective (Francis Ng) assigned to the case, and a shady young man (Huang Minghao) who has been showing up at the crime scenes. Elsewhere, there is a bossy landlady (Cai Ming) and a wise educator (Chin Shih-Chieh). Oh, did we mention that Li Han has a history of abusing Xiaotong?

The movie isn’t subtle by any means, and emotions are on full display as the ensemble cast go all out to express their anger, sadness, anguish, regret and desperation as they each experience different episodes. Viewers are brought along for the ride and charged sensations are felt throughout the movie.

Bullying is an issue that audiences can easily feel for, and even if the story goes over the top, one feels for the characters. Coupled with stylishly shot scenes, impressive setups against a fictitious Southeast Asian backdrop (the movie was primarily shot in Penang), and plot twists that keep you at the edge of your seats, this is an engaging watch from beginning to end.

After the success of Sheep Without a Shepherd (2019), Quah has proven himself to be a competent filmmaker. It is also interesting to note that this is a remake of Quah’s own 2022 movie of the same title and premise. He recast the actors after the original male lead Jag Huang was embroiled in a #MeToo scandal, which prevented the film’s release in China. This remake opened in China earlier in July, and was ranked second for the highest box office takings for the summer season. It sure looks like the efforts paid off, and in a grander scheme of things, there is increased awareness of bullying and the heartbreaks that follow.

Movie Rating:

(This emotionally-charged drama thriller forces you to look at the horrors of bullying and the tragedies that follow)

Review by John Li