Edzard explores violence and savagery in debut feature
Having kicked off on October 20, shooting is in full swing in Eastern France on Roland Edzard’s debut feature, the thriller End of Silence.
Previously acclaimed for his short The Plain (3rd Cinéfondation Prize at Cannes 2005, Grand Prize in the European Student Films Competition at the Premiers Plans Festival), the 29-year-old director has put together a cast including young actor Franck Falise, Thierry Frémont, Romania’s Maia Morgenstern, Switzerland’s Carlo Brandt, Belgium’s Marianne Basler, Alexis Michalik and Anna Mihalcea.
Written by the director, the film centres on the Klein family, who live in a remote house in the mountains. Considered the black sheep, youngest son Jean (Falise) is thrown out. Angry and threatening, he arrives at Nils and Ida’s chalet for a hunting expedition.
The next day, he learns how to kill. The following night, his mother’s car is set on fire and he is blamed. He disappears into the mountains with a gun. On the third day, it pours down with rain and, in the evening, a storm brews. Shut up in their house, the Klein family await with dread the return of Jean, who will challenge them, weapon in hand.
According to its producer Philippe Avril, End of Silence, which evokes a Faulknerian world, is a cross between a thriller and a modern western. It ventures into territory that is rarely explored in French cinema: the savagery of nature and violence that is always about to erupt.
End of Silence is produced by Unlimited, Pijo Productions, Poly-Son and Les Films de l’Etranger, in partnership with Le Fresnoy and Austria’s Dor Film. Its budget includes a €540,000 advance on receipts from the National Film and Moving Image Centre (CNC), backing from the Lorraine and Alsace regions, and support from the Strasbourg Urban Community.
Scheduled to last until November 25, shooting is taking place in Grendelbruch in the Lower Rhine and Plainfaing in the Vosges. French distribution will be handled by Equation, while international sales are being managed by Doc & Film International.
(Translated from French)
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