Beyond Silence (1996 film)

Jenseits der Stille
Jenseits der Stille
	Film poster
Directed by	Caroline Link
Written by	Caroline Link; Beth Serlin;
Produced by	Jakob Claussen; Thomas Wöbke; Luggi Waldleitner;
Starring	Sylvie Testud; Howie Seago; Emmanuelle Laborit; Sibylle Canonica; Matthias Habich; Hansa Czypionka; Tatjana Trieb;
Cinematography	Gernot Roll
Edited by	Patricia Rommel
Music by	Niki Reiser
Release date	19 December 1996;
Running time	112 minutes
Country	Germany
Languages	German; German Sign Language;
Box office	$11.5 million

Beyond Silence (German: Jenseits der Stille) is a 1996 German film directed by Caroline Link. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 70th Academy Awards.^[2]

Plot

The film tells the story of Lara, who grows up as the daughter of deaf parents, Martin and Kai. Lara herself is hearing and is fluent in sign language. Even as a young child, she serves as an interpreter for her parents in many situations, such as credit negotiations at the bank as well as her own parent–teacher conference, although not always completely truthfully.

Lara receives a clarinet for Christmas from Clarissa, her father's sister and an enthusiastic musician. Lara discovers the world of music, where her parents cannot follow her. In the years that follow, she is discovered to be a talented clarinet player. When 18-year-old Lara wants to study at a music conservatory in Berlin, the family seems to break apart. Lara finds love in Berlin with a teacher of deaf children.

After Kai is killed in a bicycle accident, Lara's grieving father feels abandoned. Lara bounces from her family home, to her aunt's, to her uncle's before returning to her childhood home. The ending seems to reconcile it all: Martin tries to understand the love of music that his daughter feels, and the film ends with a cautious reunion between him and Lara.

Cast

Sylvie Testud as Lara
Tatjana Trieb as young Lara
Howie Seago as Martin
Emmanuelle Laborit as Kai
Sibylle Canonica as Clarissa
Matthias Habich as Gregor (Clarissa's husband)
Alexandra Bolz as Marie
Hansa Czypionka as Tom
Doris Schade as Lilli
Horst Sachtleben as Robert
Hubert Mulzer as Mister Gärtner
Birge Schade as Miss Mertens
Stephan Kampwirth as Bank Manager

Reviews

Beyond Silence has an 83% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.^[3]

"A successful film debut of a graduate of the Munich Film Academy. The film is a sensible presentation of the problem of the handicapped as well as the universal theme of the self discovery of a young woman and the plea for understanding and openness about seemingly disproportionate experiences." (film-dienst 25/1996)
"Whoever would like to find out how loud the snow is and how the sounds of a clarinet can enchant people, should not allow themselves to miss this film: a German production which takes up extraordinary themes across the relationship-comedy and tells the story about saying goodbye to one's childhood with gentle humor and an idiosyncratic aesthetic." (Fischer Film Almanach, 1997)
"A film that allows silence to become music and has found strength in the balance between laughing and crying, happiness and pain. "Jenseits der Stille" is memorable among German productions, and excellently cast. (Dirk Jasper FilmLexikon)
"Thanks to good casting for all roles and assured acting performances under its direction, this [film is] a successful journey into the world of the deaf, with all its problems of social integration and family conflict." (FBW Langfilme)

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result
1997	Bavarian Film Awards	Best Director	Caroline Link	Won
	Bavarian Film Awards	Best Film Score	Niki Reiser	Won
	Chicago International Film Festival	Special Mention	Caroline Link	Won
	Chicago International Film Festival	Best Film	Caroline Link	Nominated
	Deutscher Filmpreis	Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role	Sylvie Testud	Won
		Best Editing	Niki Reiser	Won
		Outstanding Feature Film	Caroline Link	Won
		Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role	Emmanuelle Laborit	Nominated
		Best Direction	Caroline Link	Nominated
	Guild of German Art House Cinemas	German Film	Caroline Link	Won
	Palm Springs International Film Festival	Best Foreign Language Film	Caroline Link	Nominated
	Tokyo International Film Festival	Best Screenplay Award	Caroline Link	Won
	Tokyo International Film Festival	Tokyo Grand Prix	Caroline Link	Won
	Vancouver International Film Festival	Most Popular Film	Caroline Link	Won
	Young Artist Award	Best Family Feature - Foreign	Caroline Link	Nominated
	Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Foreign Film	Tatjana Trieb	Nominated
1998	Academy Awards	Best Foreign Language Film	Caroline Link	Nominated
1998	National Board of Review	Top Foreign Films	Caroline Link	Won

References

^ "Jenseits der Stille (Beyond Silence) (1998) - JPBox-Office".
^ "The 70th Academy Awards (1998) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
^ "Beyond Silence (1996)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
^ "European films being 'inspired by' Indian films rather than the other way round". The Hindu. 18 October 2016. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 March 2022.

Book

Link, Caroline (2001). Jenseits der Stille. Berlin: Aufbau. ISBN 978-3-7466-1453-3.

External links

Ungewöhnliche Dreharbeiten - Bayerischer Rundfunk
Filmeintrag auf omdb.org with underground information
Beyond Silence at IMDb

[1] "Jenseits der Stille (Beyond Silence) (1998) - JPBox-Office".

[Oscars1998-2] "The 70th Academy Awards (1998) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 13 October 2015.

[3] "Beyond Silence (1996)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 10 January 2017.

[4] "European films being 'inspired by' Indian films rather than the other way round". The Hindu. 18 October 2016. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 March 2022.

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