The Silence

The net slowly closes in on a pair of sociopaths involved in the gruesome rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl after they had managed to hush it up for 23 years and start new lives. This atmospheric and stylish German thriller feels more suited to television than cinema, especially due to the eccentric appeal of Sebastian Blomberg as David Jahn, a possibly sexually repressed man heading up the murder investigation. As we know who the killers are from the off, their eventual capture feels like something of a fait accompli, though rich characterisations and a composed take on its controversial subject matter make this an engrossing and perceptive – if hardly mould-breaking – modern noir.