By 
By Roger Costa
In the role of a problematic woman trying to reconstruct her life and integrity, actress Lynn Mancinelli gives an absorbing, phenomenal, revelatory performance in “The Price for Silence”, a well-done low-budget production set in New Jersey. Award-winning writer-director Tony Germinario’s sophomore project is a dramatically-charged and efficiently dark portrait of an estranged family reunited for the patriarch’s funeral. Revolving around Kira, played by Mancinelli, the courageous screenplay unveils every detail of her troubled, lonely and lusty personality, exposing her uneasiness, desires and conflicts right on the opening scene: she wakes up next to a stranger, just to confirm her emotional, sexual instability. Through intriguing flashbacks, it reveals that Kira had been carrying these sort of disturbances since she was a teen when she was possibly abused. Germinario presents this important key to the story, but keeps it as a mystery to be solved within the next revelations to come. Once Kira arrives at her parents home, the film brilliantly interconnects her trauma to her mother’s grieving and her brother’s sudden professional success, gathering these strange forces to comment on the lack of communication and understanding among modern families, and the sacrifices or silent vows one must take, in order to survive and overcome.
Prolific British actor Emrhys Cooper (who was in “Mamma Mia” and “Blood Rush”) stars as Kira’s brother, the celebrated artist and painter Lucas, building up a subtle, complex persona to his attractive role as he prepares for an important exhibition. Also TV star Kristin Carey delivers an astonishing turn as the mother, stealing every scene with firm posture and strong presence. The trio of actors won the prestigious Award of Excellence for Leading Actress (Mancinelli), Supporting Actor (Cooper) and Supporting Actress (Carey), while Germinario accepted the Best Film Prize. They were also nominated for the same prizes at both Garden State Film Festival and International Film Festival of Wales, where Mancinelli also scored the Best Actress award.
Provocative and scandalous, THE PRICE FOR SILENCE is a convincingly dramatic, timely and urgent family drama that stirs up controversy for its delicate, yet explosive issues.
(The Price for Silence premieres at the 2019 London Independent Film Festival on Saturday April 6th at 9 pm.)
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