40 Days of Silence

Running time: 88 mins

In the silence of the heart lie all the sounds of the universe. Drops of water fizz on a hot stove. A sharpening knife hisses on crockery. A ghost hovers over a young woman, smoothing her hair. Somewhere someone sobs. In an Uzbek mountain village, four women from the four stages of life live together in a house. Silence, like a breath too long held, magnifies the sounds around them. And in their midst is Bibicha, whose unexplained vow of silence binds them all together. This is a film of stillness, of miniscule movement and moments; of hypnotic whispers; of music more felt than heard. Resonant with marrow-deep emotions, profoundly beautiful, this deeply impressive film radiates a dark warmth that will not be easily forgotten. - Charlie Cockey