A Silent Child with Loud Parents

Throughout the 20 minutes of The Silent Child, I was left shocked, heartbroken, and ready to advocate for a cause I had no clue about what so ever. The first thing that struck me about this movie was the casting. A white, middle class, nice family, who give off the look that nothing is wrong. They seem almost, "perfect".  Good looking, smart, a few kids, and what it looks like from the first glace were two loving and doting parents. The viewer learns through time that the issues lie deeper as one understands the family dynamic. The one actor that shot me was the older woman sitting out in the car when the tutor came out to talk to her. She was shocked when Joanne was talking about how smart Libby was and how she could do anything she wanted to, insinuating that everyone thinks that Libby was slow or dumb because she couldn't hear.
Another film element I really loved about this movie was the setting. Set in the idyllic English countryside- it was picturesque and seemed as if nothing could go wrong. This ended up being ironic because the family situation was neglectful and dark. I also thought the scene shot in the kitchen where they were all eating was interesting. It's been said that the kitchen is the heart of the home and where most families spend their time together. This is where Libby was left to not hear or understand her family dynamic. Or when Joanne was sitting at the gate at school, a place where Libby probably feels most alone, reaching out to her through the gates only to have Libby walk away from her.
A Silent Child is not a usual tension building movie through yelling or violence, but rather through a bad family dynamic and child neglect in a way different than a social norm. It was interesting, insightful, and brought an issue most don't realize is an issue to the light.