All the Silence

Diego Del Río's 2023 Mexican film follows how the life of Miriam, who teaches sign language in the mornings and performs in professional theatre in the afternoons, comes apart. Her life is largely bound to the daily routine of a deaf person and she has a settled relationship with her girlfriend Lola; when a development upsets that balance, she has to ask again who she is, professionally and emotionally. The most striking element is formal: the sound design frequently drops into silence to imitate a deaf character's perception and bring the viewer closer to Miriam's world. It is one of the few Mexican films to centre both deaf culture and a queer relationship. The narrative weakness is that the passages between theatre rehearsal and private life sometimes stay loose. Who it's for: viewers interested in Latin American independent cinema, deaf culture and queer relationship stories. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a defined plot, or who will find the slow pace and inward focus wearing.