The Silence (2010)

The Silence (2010) is a German thriller film directed by Baran bo Odar, adapted from the novel of the same name by Jan Costin Wagner. In summer 1986, Pia, an 11-year-old schoolgirl, was killed in a wheat field near a small provincial German town. One man carried out the murder while another watched silently from his passenger seat. The victim’s body was then placed in the trunk of a red car while her bicycle was left behind. Fast forward to 2009, when 13-year-old Sinikka Weghamm disappears from the local fair and her bicycle is found in the same location as Pia’s bike years before. Retired senior detective Krischan Mittich, who worked on Pia’s case, becomes interested in Sinikka’s disappearance but is prevented from joining the investigation by new senior detective Matthias Grimmer.

Instead, Detective David Jahn takes on the emotionally taxing case while still grieving for his wife’s recent death. Despite Mittich’s desire to help, he is hindered by Grimmer’s insistence on handling things his own way, even if it leads them down the wrong path. In a flashback, we witness the first encounter between Pia’s killer, Peer Sommer from Denmark, and his acquaintance, a student named Timo. As they watch some of Sommer’s pornographic films together, including one depicting the abuse of a young girl, they form a bond. However, after Pia’s murder, Timo departs much to Sommer’s disappointment. Meanwhile, retired detective Mittich pays a visit to Pia’s mother and expresses frustration at Detective Grimmer for giving Sinikka’s parents false hope as the investigation continues to make little progress.