A Question of Silence

Monday, January 8, 2018

Split Britches presents A QUESTION OF SILENCE

Archival 35mm print!

Can murder ever be justified? That’s the central question at the heart of this controversial 1981 feminist classic by Marleen Gorris (Antonia’s Line). A QUESTION OF SILENCE follows a psychiatrist (Edda Barends) as she interviews three female strangers who mysteriously joined together to kill a male shop owner in a fit of spontaneous rage. The film is a favorite of legendary theater artists Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver, together known as Split Britches (who will be at LaMama ETC with their new show Unexploded Ordnances (UXO) January 4th-22nd). Shaw and Weaver write, “A QUESTION OF SILENCE has had huge impact on our work in terms of finding a queer feminist solution to issues and problems. We always refer to it at some point in our process.” Rarely screened in theaters, Gorris’ film should provoke a fascinating conversation in the wake of the recent surge of the #MeToo movement.

Screening as part of Queer|Art|Film.

Country Netherlands
Year 1982
Running Time 92 minutes
Director Marleen Gorris
Writer Marleen Gorris
Editor Hans von Dongen
Cinematographer Frans Bromet
Cast Edda Barends, Nelly Frijda, Henriëtte Tol

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.