As Silence Passes By (Spanish: Por donde pasa el silencio) is a 2024 Spanish drama film written and directed by Sandra Romero (in her directorial debut feature).
Contents
Plot
Antonio, who earns a living as a waiter, returns from Madrid to his hometown of Écija during the Holy Week to look for his twin brother Javier, who needs his help.
Production
As Silence Passes By is a Mammut, Playa Chica, Icónica, Auna Producciones and Pasa el silencio AIE production with the participation of RTVE, Canal Sur and Filmin. It was shot in Écija and Carmona.
Release
The film world premiered in the 'New Directors' slate of the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival on 25 September 2024. Distributed by BTeam Pictures, it was released theatrically in Spain on 29 November 2024.
Reception
Cédric Succivalli of International Cinephile Society rated the film 4½ out of 5 stars, billing it as "a very simple film about enormously challenging ideas".
Alfonso Rivera of Cineuropa deemed the film to be "a harsh, gritty portrait of family relations in which people sometimes don't love each other in a healthy way, a lack of communication reigns and people are overly demanding".
Javier Ocaña of El País described Romero's "notable" debut film as "a work full of harshness and anger, but also of love and warmth, about a family like any other. From the countryside, of course".