The Quadrangle

Issue date: 10/20/04 Section: Arts & Entertainment

This independent film, based on the recent scandals in the Catholic Church, brings a personal twist to make it come alive on screen. The scene is set in modern day Ireland, within a monastery full of young eager boys preparing for the priesthood. From the outside, it appears to be an innocent and pure group of men, but with a closer glance, questions of sexuality and the Church seep through the cracks. Conflict strikes when a suicide within the community is committed and the issues of celibacy arise.

In the first opening scenes, we see two separate stories that seem to have little in relation to one another. It is not until the very end of the film that we see how these two unusual situations are connected. This was a major flaw of the movie - there was not even a hint that these two events were linked. It caused more confusion than it was worth. The so-called shocker at the end was hardly that. In fact, it only made the audience glad to see that there was a light at the end of this long, boring tunnel.

Although extremely controversial, A Conspiracy of Silence was also very slow paced. Major editing could have been done to shorten this snore-fest. It seemed that this film was going on for hours upon hours, making my wrist hurt from checking my watch so frequently. It was only eighty-seven minutes-no longer than a Disney film - and I felt like a hyperactive child without Ritalin.

The accents made the movie seem as if it needed subtitles. At first, I could not understand a word of what was being said. I was not the only one with this problem. Every person around me was squinting in confusion, heads being scratched. It was quite a scene to see a room full of people staring at a screen as if it were a calculus equation. It was actually more entertaining that watching the movie. Needless to say, good luck translating.

A Conspiracy of Silence was extremely choppy. One scene would be a romantic kiss between two lovers and then music was cut abruptly to transition into a bar fight. It was certainly a shock to be watching a quiet, serene moment and then have a bus horn startle you enough to make you jump from your seat. The editors should be ashamed of their "work". It was definitely not something that would make one feel so proud that they need to brag about it in the credits.

I do have one positive comment about the film. The scenery was absolutely beautiful. The rolling green hills were so gorgeous that they seemed false. The towns seemed small but cozy-the type of place where you knew about everyone's business and they knew about yours. Surrounded by such a picturesque landscape, who would have thought that a town could be in such chaos?

I could not tell after the film how I felt-I was torn between frustration and remorse. I was on the fence between hate and apathy. It was just amazing how a movie with such a strong title turned out to be such a complete and utter let down. It left me unsatisfied. I was unmoved and unchanged, and mostly unresolved.

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