Silent Fall (1994)

24% of critics liked it
(17 reviews)
38% of users liked it
(1,364 ratings)

This by-the-numbers psychodrama about a child psychologist trying to discern the truth behind a pair of murders stars Richard Dreyfuss as Dr. Jake Rainer, a child psychologist living in an upscale community. Rainer retired when a patient committed suicide, but the local sheriff (J.T. Walsh) calls… More This by-the-numbers psychodrama about a child psychologist trying to discern the truth behind a pair of murders stars Richard Dreyfuss as Dr. Jake Rainer, a child psychologist living in an upscale community. Rainer retired when a patient committed suicide, but the local sheriff (J.T. Walsh) calls him to the scene of a double murder. In a lavish home, Rainer meets Tim Warden (Ben Faulkner) and his sister Sylvie (Liv Tyler, in her feature film debut), whose parents have been brutally slain. Sylvie hid in a closet and didn't see the killer, but Tim, who is autistic and cannot communicate, witnessed the crime. Rainer starts the complicated process of reaching Tim through gentle psychological techniques based on his theory that autistics think in sequences, while a colleague (John Lithgow) simply wants to drug the child into revealing the killer's identity. The real-life son of child psychologists who worked with autistic children, Silent Fall screenwriter Akiva Goldsman had better success with his first film, an adaptation of The Client (1994), a drama with a similar plot and themes. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: Bruce Beresford
Written By: Akiva Goldsman
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: Oct 28, 1994 Wide
On DVD: Jun 13, 2000
Studio: Warner Home Video

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, Variety
Poorly scripted by Akiva Goldsman, this murder mystery (helmed by Bruce Beresford) represents an awkward synthesis of autism and family abuse as social problems, failing to deliver suspense or excitement on any level.
Hal Hinson, Washington Post
So predictable that you would almost swear you'd seen it before.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
It's the kind of picture that results when a film maker loses sight of the fact that a portion of his audience might actually think while watching a movie.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Silent Fall, a dramatically repressed psychodrama, could be sued for creative malpractice.
Clint Morris, Moviehole
A tense and terrific thriller. Tyler is a standout.
, Time Out
Beresford draws the best from a fine cast. Only when he tries to up the thrill quotient near the end are the contrivances of Akiva Goldsman's debut script revealed, like cracks in the smooth surface of a frozen lake.
Stephen Farber, Movieline
Beresford has drawn amazing performances from Ben Faulkner as the boy and ravishing ex-model Liv Tyler as his distraught sister.
Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews
The mystery keeps the viewer riveted to the screen.
Chris Hicks, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
The film relies too heavily on gimmicks ... And the mystery plotting and dialogue are weak at best.