German Film Fest 2024 Review - Not a Word
Images courtesy of the German Film Festival.
The vibrating buzz and ding of a text message notification can happen at the most inopportune times – in the middle of a silent cinema, or as you start to drift off to sleep. In Hanna Slak’s Not A Word (Kein Wort), the sound of a text almost has a haunting effect, as it continuously interrupts a mother and son’s troubled relationship.
Not A Word, which premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, is a brooding, introspective drama that examines the breakdown of a maternal relationship, which has been exacerbated by communication breakdowns and the pressures of single parenting.
Conductor and single mother Nina Palcek (Maren Eggert) is deeply engrossed in preparations for her orchestra’s performance of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5. Her mobile phone, which is rarely on silent, is always close by, constantly interrupting her interactions with her withdrawn teenage son, Lars (Jona Levin Nicolai).
On her way to rehearsals, she hurriedly drops Lars off to school, reminding him “10 more days”. A photo memorial for a deceased student at the school gates, coupled with a request from a concerned teacher that they “need to talk”, makes it clear that there is trouble afoot, but Nina pushes it aside so she can focus on this pivotal moment in her career.
However, it comes to naught, as her recital is interrupted when Lars falls out of a window at school, presumably in an accident while trying to fix the broken window. With Lar’s father Alex (Mehdi Nebbou) absent, Nina offers to take Lars on a short holiday of his choice, but they must return before the concert on the upcoming Saturday.
Upon Lar’s request, they travel from Munich to their usual summer vacation haunt, Locmaria, an isolated, small town on the island off the northwest coast of France. While Locmaria in spring may be a tranquil haven, in the biting cold of the winter, it proves to be no paradise and seems to only further distance the two from each other.
After a violent outburst from Lars in which he smashes Nina’s phone on the rocks, the duo attempt to go home, but a winter storm cuts them off from the mainland. As the dark clouds roll in, paranoia begins to wreak havoc, as Nina suspects Lars was involved in the recent death of his schoolmate, Carla.
As the storm clouds clear and the mother and son finally begin to communicate, it becomes clear that Nina knows more about the death of Carla but decided that “sometimes it’s better not to say things out loud”. This is the heart of the film, as it powerfully explores the consequences of silence that often surrounds traumatic incidents.
While the 87-minute-long film at times moves at a glacial pace, the stunning cinematography by Claire Mathon (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) and the eerie strings of Mahler's Symphony No. 5 fuel the rising tension and keep the audience engaged. Just be sure to keep your phone on silent so you are not disturbed.
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Not a Word screened as part of the 2024 German Film Festival. The Melbourne festival ran from the 10th-29th of May. For more info, click here.