The Silent Treatment

Sometimes the confrontations we fear are the key to reconciliation. Tess, a peculiar eighteen-year-old with Stockholm syndrome, stalks an introverted man in his forties in Budapest. His girlfriend Andrea tries to approach her, and gradually the three become more and more deeply entangled. Caroline Strubbe weaves an intimate, atmospheric psychological drama about relationships, guilt, and trauma. Sometimes the confrontations we fear are the only path to reconciliation. Tess (Kimke Desart), a peculiar eighteen-year-old with Stockholm syndrome, stalks an introverted man in his forties, Szabolcs (Zoltan Miklos 'Uldi' Hajdu), in Budapest. His girlfriend Andrea tries to gently approach Tess and help her face her past. Gradually, the three become increasingly entangled in each other's lives, and it becomes clear how their history permanently affects their relationships. De Belgische director and screenwriter Caroline Strubbe sketches an intimate, atmospheric psychological drama about human connections, guilt, forgiveness, and how the power of imagination can help us process trauma. The Silent Treatment forms the concluding piece of Strubbe's acclaimed Lost Persons-trilogy (Lost Persons Area, I’m the Same I’m an Other), but can also be viewed perfectly standalone. Screening with the support of Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds. Rating: not yet classified