My Cultural Diet

Plot-wise, Sword of Silence is close to inscrutable at times, as a black-clad figure wanders silently across a bizarre, sun-less landscape, encountering various odd and unsavory characters whilst experiencing strange, ominous visions that are somehow related to the sword he carries. Nevertheless, I remained hooked from the opening scene. Some of that was from a curious nostalgia, as Reese Cleveland’s film ably summons the ghosts of low-budget fantasy fare from the ’80s. Much of that, however, was due to the film’s unique look: Cleveland and his small group of collaborators shot Sword of Silence at night and only by the light of the full moon. (As such, it took five years and 27 full moon cycles to complete the film.) The lunar lighting, combined with the Australian landscape and some clever visual effects, imbues Sword of Silence with an otherworldly tone that’s further enhanced by the obtuse storytelling and an atmospheric dungeon synth soundtrack. I can certainly see how some might find Sword of Silence interminable, especially whenever the digital cinematography and YouTube compression conspire to render the film nigh-unwatchable. But I found it compelling and consistently fascinating, a prime example of the sort of inventive indie filmmaking that we need more of these days.

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