A Silent Love (2004)

94% of critics liked it
(17 reviews)
36% of users liked it
(237 ratings)

A pair of e-mailing lovers discover romance is more difficult in the real world than in cyberspace, especially when a highly unexpected rivalry comes into the picture in this understated comedy drama. Norman (Noël Burton) is a middle-aged college professor from Montreal who, through an on-line… More A pair of e-mailing lovers discover romance is more difficult in the real world than in cyberspace, especially when a highly unexpected rivalry comes into the picture in this understated comedy drama. Norman (Noël Burton) is a middle-aged college professor from Montreal who, through an on-line dating service, has been corresponding with Gladys (Vanessa Bauche), an attractive younger woman from Mexico. Emboldened by the dating service's prediction that their relationship has a 61 percent chance of lasting, Norman flies to Mexico to ask for Gladys' hand in marriage. Gladys accepts, but only under the condition that her mother, Fernanda (Susana Salazar), can join them in Canada. Norman agrees, but it isn't long before both Norman and Gladys discover the chemistry they enjoyed through the mail doesn't work nearly as well in person. Gladys wonders aloud if Norman actually wrote his own letters, and Norman starts to suspect his new bride is more interested in a green card than in him. Matters become all the more difficult when Norman finds himself becoming infatuated with Fernanda, who is not much older than he is and quite attractive for her age. A Silent Love was the first feature film from director Federico Hidalgo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Paulina Robles, his spouse. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: Federico Hidalgo
Genres: Drama, Romance, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Mar 25, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Apr 25, 2006
Studio: Atopia

Critic Reviews

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Director Federico Hidalgo moves the film at a thoughtful pace and refuses to impose a tidy prefabricated conclusion on his story of marriage and misunderstanding.
, Los Angeles Times
Its charms sneak up on you because of the nuanced performances of Burton, Bauche and particularly Salazar as their characters discover that what people think they want and what ultimately makes them happy aren't necessarily the same thing.
Scott Foundas, Variety
They're vibrant individuals with minds of their own, which is another way of saying that they only occasionally obey the dictates of Hollywood romantic-comedy convention.
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
[An] intelligent, understated, humanistic film.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
This story of a shy Canadian professor who weds a younger Mexican woman he has met online is not content to be a feel-good intercultural idyll.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
A Silent Love manages to entertain while saying something about loneliness and culture shock.
Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
Puts an unusual spin on some of the clichés of the romantic comedy.
John Esther, Pasadena Weekly
An unimposing film of many a film festival, Federico Hidalgo’s “A Silent Love” is a decent film full of true human emotions
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Robles and Hidalgo ring enough changes on a stock situation that you're never sure where it's going, and that alone is no mean achievement in a genre as formulaic and enervated as romantic comedy.
Kent Turner, Film-Forward.com
Performed with subtlety and offering no pat resolutions
Jordan Reed, Boxoffice Magazine
A poor script, occasionally baffling editing, and actors who cannot rise above the various missteps combine to make A Silent Love a messy, confusing debut that more resembles a student film than a theatrical release.
Harry Haun, Film Journal International
Salazar ... pulls the audience over to her corner early on and never lets go of them.
Bruce Kirkland, Jam! Movies
Hidalgo takes us on an interesting journey into the hearts and minds of people who uproot themselves and spin slightly out of control in a new milieu.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Cast

Vanessa Bauche
as Gladys
Noël Burton
as Norman
Susana Salazar
as Fernanda

Maka Kotto
as Andre
Regina Orozco
as Ana Francisca
Jorge Zárate
as Sr. Valdivia

See full cast

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