TIFF 2021: Silent Night Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

The Christmas film subgenre has arguably been a tired one for the most part, mostly relying on the same themes and plot threads. Perhaps seeing a Christmas film as part of this festival is a surprise but Silent Night is a worthy film that tries to do something different with the genre. While a decent dark comedy centered around a dysfunctional family that takes a few shots at the holiday, it is framed around an even darker twist that the film hopes to use to set it apart from other Christmas comedies. However, that twist doesn’t quite work. That being said, the film had its hilarious moments thanks to its spectacular cast. Meanwhile, running at a brisk running time, clocking in at around the 90 minute mark, an admittedly limited premise does not wear out its welcome. Though whether or not the film becomes a new holiday tradition remains to be seen, it doesn’t do enough to set itself apart from all the other dysfunctional family holiday films.

Silent Night follows a woman named Nell (Knightley), her husband Simon (Goode), and their son Art (Roman Griffin Davis) as they prepare to host friends and family for the perfect Christmas gathering with a little more significance than past holiday gatherings as everyone was set to die. Playing like a traditional dysfunctional family holiday comedy, the stress and pressure involved in creating the perfect gathering was palpable and it seemed warranted considering the eccentric cast of characters that were set to join them. Once the whole gang arrived, the film saw the various quirks of all the guests play off of each other. This brought on countless hilarious moments but beyond the quirks and various dysfunction none of the characters and their backstories truly mattered in the grand scheme. As the characters came face-to-face with their impending deaths, the film somewhat got more interesting. However, that tonal shift didn’t quite work due to its lack of development.

Ultimately, the best part of Silent Night was its performances from its superb cast. They made the best out of their characters for the most part and their chemistry made it fun to watch in spite of the thinness. Despite the short running time, each character still had their moments. Knightley as Nell and Davis as Art were the standouts as those characters were in the middle of everything.

In the end, Silent Night is a solid holiday film that may not set itself apart but does just enough to warrant consideration.

 still courtesy of TIFF

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.