An unflinching portrayal of teenagers struggling to cope, and a relationship forged in struggle
Ben (William Robinson) and Daize (Rachelle Diedericks) are teenagers dragged into an adult world they are ill-prepared for: Ben a lackey to a big-time drug-dealer, Daize the protective daughter of a drug-addled mother. Behind their façades of bravado and aggression, both are scared stiff. Following a chance encounter whilst Ben is on a job, an unlikely friendship forms which could blossom into something more. Echoing the ‘lovers-never-meant-to-be’ trope, The Silence and the Noise remains fresh by engaging with the highly relevant issues of drug-addiction, poverty and county-lines crime without sentimentality.
Opening with a knife pointed at someone’s throat, each meeting between Ben and Daize drips with tension, as they begin to allow themselves to be vulnerable in one another’s company. Both actors are convincing in their teen uncertainty, with every facial expression and shift in body language embodying tentative trust before snapping back to suspicion. The chemistry between the couple drives the narrative along through some troubling scenes, and a snappy script ensures the audience is engaged with the harsh realities being presented. As they become closer, and Daize urges Ben to get out of the drug game, you being to see just how scared – and how lost – they have both become.
As a teacher myself, both characters are well-realised: teens feeling a need to present a tough exterior to the world, but really crumbling inside. I’ve had training in County Lines crime and students getting sucked into the world of big money and big addiction, but Tom Powell’s characters bring a tragic human element to proceedings making the issues seem more urgent.
Having started life as a play, before being adapted for film in 2022, The Silence and the Noise maintains the fingerprints of good theatre. Each scene feels intimate and important, the characters are three-dimensional and authentic, and a focus on dialogue allows William Robinson and Rachelle Diedericks to shine. Shot in the Kent countryside, the star-crossed lovers only ever meet in the overgrowth surrounding Daize’s house, bringing a real claustrophobia to proceedings. This intimacy is amplified through clever camera-shots, frequently wrenching into a facial close-up and with wider angles peeking over hedges and around gates.
The Silence and the Noise saw success at the Broadstairs International Film Festival (Best Film and Best Actor) and the original play’s script won the Papatango prize for new writing in 2021. It isn’t hard to see why, with an original narrative; actors with great chemistry; and an authentic script allowing an exploration of some dark and uncomfortable themes. Well worth an hour of your time if looking some something entertaining, tragic, and worthwhile.
The Silence and The Noise is free to watch online until Wednesday 20th March via https://pentabus.co.uk/silence-noise. A trailer is available here.