"Beyond Silence": A Short Film that Speaks Volumes

Always fight for your voice.

"Beyond Silence" is a Dutch short film directed by Marnie Blok. Eva, a young deaf student, fights with the higher authorities about a traumatic situation that happened at her university. Two women of different generations share a similar tragedy and story, but one decides to stay silent, while the other woman fights for justice.

I watched "Beyond Silence" at the Manhattan Short Film Festival at the Shalin Liu Center in Rockport. This emotionally striking short film resonated deeply with audiences. Sexual assault is a tragic and relatable topic that has endured years of battles in conversation. Beyond Silence is a compelling short film that encourages audiences to keep fighting.

"Beyond Silence" is Marnie Blok’s directorial debut, though she has a background as an actress and writing scripts for features and series. She wanted to direct for some time, and took the step when a director encouraged her.

The story is written from Blok’s own history with sexual assault. During the rise of the Me Too movement, Blok said she realized how many stories remained unspoken.

“I knew I wanted to write this short because it was personal,” she said. Blok added that speaking up about her own experience helped her move on.

The short film stars three actresses, Henrianne Jansen (Eva), Sigrid ten Napel (Anna), and Tamar van den Dop (Sandrine). The dynamic between the three women is a major focus throughout the short. Although they are the same gender who have endured similar battles, there’s a drawback between generations. The acting of each woman is profound.

Casting proved essential to achieving the film’s authenticity. Blok had past connections with Napel and Dop. Blok was introduced to Henrianne Jansen through an ASL interpreter.

Jansen had no prior experience in acting. In fact, Blok said that she was denied entry into theater school because they didn’t know how to accommodate a deaf student. In their meeting, Blok cast Jansen after interpreting a monologue through sign language, believing that she related to the subject.

With the support of onset ASL interpreters and extensive preparation, Jansen delivers an extraordinary performance with fierce strength.

Shot over three days in January with little money and a tight schedule, the story unfolds in a real-time conversation, a choice that challenged Blok as a director. She encouraged herself with, “Do what you feel, and what you know.”

She learned about cinematography, visual storytelling, and sound design. Sound plays an important role in the short. Blok and her sound designer tried to film in complete silence, but it didn’t work. Certain scenes minimize the sound, taking audiences into Eva’s world.

Blok spent a long time writing the film, evolving from several drafts. Originally, the story centered on revenge, until deciding to focus on breaking the silence and the consequences. Through research and reflection on the Me Too movement, Blok realized how many women still carry similar experiences quietly.

“I think a lot of women have dealt with this,” Blok said, expressing that she hopes her film makes two generations reconnect to help one another.

I heard audiences whispering when the short ended. The mood was thick in the theater. From other movie screenings, Blok said audience reactions have been intense and personal. Many people have come forward and talked to her about similar situations they’ve encountered.

“This is a subject we need to have ongoing conversations on,” Blok said. “There’s nothing weak. It’s strong to talk about.

"Beyond Silence" is a well-directed and deep film that has stayed with me since viewing it. We need films like Beyond Silence to help us understand this difficult subject matter and help silenced voices speak out.