by MALCOLM FRASER

When filmmakers populate their stories with thoroughly unlikable characters, it only works when it’s done with artistry and/or a certain perverse glee. In The Quiet, director Jamie Babbit (But I’m a Cheerleader) gives us a misanthropic tale that lacks the prankish mischief of a John Waters or the deliberate solemnity of a Todd Solondz, but instead plays out like a parade of melodrama anchored in cheap shock value.

After her parents’ death, Dot (Camilla Belle), a deaf, mute teenager, is adopted into a multi-dysfunctional family. Daughter Nina (Elisha Cuthbert) is a mean-spirited cheerleader, Dad (Martin Donovan) is a perverted creep and Mom (Edie Falco) is a pill-popping basket case. School is no respite from the onslaught, as Belle has to contend with the cruel machinations of socially sadistic queen bee Michelle (Katy Mixon) and the attentions of boneheaded jock Connor (Shawn Ashmore). As Belle navigates the treacherous waters of both school and home life, she finds that her disability gives people an inclination to reveal their secrets in her presence. These secrets pile up until they overflow in a burst of soap-operatic drama.

Belle does a pretty good job with the challenge of her silent role as Dot, although the effect is spoiled by cringe-worthy voice-overs, often delivered as she tinkles earnestly on a piano. It’s as though Babbit can’t quite bring herself to make the film as dour as the subject matter entails, and feels that the best way to balance things is with occasional flourishes of mawkish sentimentality. Cuthbert does her trashy best, but can’t elevate the shoddy material she’s working with. As for established actors like Falco and Donovan, why they would get themselves involved in this mess is a mystery. Donovan can at least claim the need for employment since the Hal Hartley gravy dried up, but Falco has a steady gig and has thus far shown pretty discriminating taste.

The Quiet mixes the cold, alienated vibe of an Egoyan film with the sensationalism of a cheap after-school special—but being as humourless as the former and as trashy as the latter, the result is a truly miserable experience.

The Quiet opens Friday, September 1

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