"Silent Walls" (密宅)

09 April 2023

"Silent Walls" (密宅) is exceptionally good for a local drama.

been staying at home, catching up with sleep & rest for the past few weeks. while awake, i have been reading, doing some personal stuff, light exercises & also watching tv to kill time while recuperating.

tbh, i didnt have much expectation for "Silent Walls". i only started watching episode 6 (the 1st episode of the 2nd story) on the night upon discharged & i was mesmerized by it. therefore, i continue watching & catch-up the 1st story thru meWatch. it has been a while since i follow a drama so closely (think the last time was "SKY Castle"). in fact, i finished chionging the last 2 episodes thru meWatch yesterday.

from the genre, themes, scriptwriting, casting, cinematography, attention to details & quality, i'm not surprised to find out that "Silent Walls" is produced by award-winning Ochre Pictures [which also produced "Mind Jumper" (触心罪探)]. after all, it is rare for MediaCorpse to produce good quality drama, let alone a suspense thriller. ["Say Cheese" (西瓜甜不甜), "Titoudao" (剃头刀), "My Star Bride" (过江新娘) & "Your World In Mine" (你的世界我们懂) are pretty much outliers among recent MediaCorpse productions, whereas "为国先疯2" & "医生不像医生" etc are their norm in terms of quality.]

"Silent Walls" narrates the stories of 4 families living in a black&white bungalow at the foot of Mount Faber during 4 different eras (1938, 1963, 1988 & 2023). each story comprises 5 episodes & feature an ensemble cast. the main leads are generally up&rising actresses, supported by more senior actors/actresses, including the surprise comeback of many veteran actors/actresses who retired from the screen (at least 1 in every story) & quite a few newbies.
[1938 story: Tasha Low, Ayden Sng, Tay Ying, Mindee Ong, Darren Lim, Lina Ng, Charlie Goh, Alfred Ong]
[1963 story: Ferlyn G, Fang Rong, Shane Pow, Johnny Ng, Constance Song, Tracer Wong]
[1988 story: Meixin, Desmond Ng, Shen Jing Xin, Alfred Sng, Tang Miao Ling, Yan Bin Liang, Regina Lim, Bernard Tan]
[2023 story: Jojo Goh, Andie Chen, Chen Shucheng, Cheryl Chou, Eelyn Kok, Chen Huihui, Hong Zhao Rong]

the 4 stories are technically standalone, but yet metaphorically linked. i enjoyed the storylines & the numerous unexpected plot twists. the mastermind/murderer is almost always the most unexpected character. i also applauded the acting from the cast, which proves again that local actors/actresses can act, but local tv lacks good scripts (likely too much interference from the G on 'messaging') & the courage to experiment. i like how "Silent Walls" dare to push the boundaries of local drama with several controversial themes, characters & plots. there is a lot of sex scenes (couples are very fertile too), LGBT storylines (2 lesbian & 1 gay confessions), paedophile rape/molest, stepmom-stepson affairs, schizophrenia, dissociative identity disorder, dysfunctional family structure, etc. while most of these are just subtle hints, i would say it is already quite a progression for the local tv scene.

perhaps i shall re-watch the NC16 telemovie edit.

Watch "Silent Walls" (密宅) at meWatch.
rating 9/10 very good

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