Silence of the Prey

Silence-of-the-Prey
Silence of the Prey

In a satirical tip of the hat to Jonathan Swift’s essay A Modest Proposal, Karyna Kudzina and Michael Vaynberg depict an immigration tragedy. The proposal which said that eating the poor would take care of the overpopulation problem is similar to the lesson put forward in Karyna Kudzina and Saro Varjabedian’s Silence of the Prey, the film’s co-directors. Slamming the doors on your face, it focuses on immigration and its conflicting social viewpoints and pushes the stakes higher every moment.

Nina (Karyna Kudzina) is an undocumented Belarusian mother in the United States. Together with her daughter, Bella, they can hope for a future in America or choose to wander the streets since no one will employ her in the city. Thus Nina agrees to watch over the slightly unhinged elder Luther (Chris Lapanta) at his secluded house in the countryside. It is a very healthy lifestyle, where everything eaten has been grown in the bees, cough syrups are prepared from plants, and every food is shared. Additionally, there is no phone, internet, or mobile coverage, the closest shop is several kilometers away, and there is only one main roadway out of the place.

The script, however, rather hurriedly, cuts to the confrontation in the woods. It is hardly a confrontation because Shakur and his homies don’t seem to be seriously opposing their male rivals in the first place. This scenario also suggests that there shall be some twist towards the end as after the woman and daughter go out for a pee break, a number of male characters jump out of the forest in an attempt to take control of the faction forcefully. This is further exacerbated by the fact that from the moment Luther steps onto the screen you know he is overdressed with an agenda you do not want to smile upon. When Nina is in her training she is given assigned tasks which in part include never going into the building where meat is cured by Luthor. Trespassers will be trespassed which is the condition upon which Andres (Monte Bezell) somehow discovered the place as his vehicle got misplaced.

While holding deer as an obsessive emotional bond with the people these animals are believed to be sacred and killing them is rather serving the cause of nature rather than disorienting it as there exists a surplus of overpopulation. Luthor stated, and even not only does this make sense but he also named Bella ‘Bambi’ while showing her around the property’s various sections. By the time Nina is staying in the isolated mansion, she has visions of people with deer horns gazing through the windows and standing by the borders of the farm.

The most disheartening aspect of Silence of the Prey is not gore and predictable sequences, but the hopeless intolerance, fear, and ignorance that many people try to hide. This monstrous truth is revealed in the course of a party. For instance, some remember that they think naked people are migrants and refugees: it’s a small wonder. The extreme portrayal of strangers as total evil bent on destroying families breeds ignorance and isolationism. “Is Belarus a territory” and “It was a part of Russia, wasn’t it, so what is the difference?” This utter stupidity seems to be true in many nations, US included. American instilled racism explains why at that party people dare to ask Andres where to get coke: ‘You’re clearly from the right sort’. Therefore, the ‘Ugly American’ who embodies a fervent belief in America’s absolute superiority over the world simply embodies such a concept, he is a real risk. However, some might consider the message too preachy understanding that it is a very real threat to people’s lives and safety in fact.

‘Silence of the Prey’ benefits from striking cinematography thanks to Varjabedian as she includes rich vegetation in the deep forests. The small cast, Kudzina who looks like a blonde version of that actress, pulls an intense show. She spent some fine moments on the resigned Nina, in particular when she refused to take what was given to her. While there quite probably are road signs within the script, many do not recognize the road signs or the general comments that are presented as sarcasm or ha ha have in fact, the dreadful beast of the woodlands and the monster that prowls the cities.

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