Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with The Silencing’s Robin Pront

Award-winning director Robin Pront continues to build on his already impressive career with his latest project, The Silencing. It’s the first project that he’s directed in English, featuring an all-star cast that includes Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Annabelle Wallis, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and Melanie Scrofano, and it’s quickly become one of the most talked-about films of 2020. Pop Culturalist caught up with Robin to learn more about The Silencing.

PC: Tell us about The Silencing.
Robin: It’s a crime thriller with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Annabelle Wallis, set in a small town. It’s a murder mystery that’s very character driven. That’s what interested me when I read the script for the first time. It’s an interesting, morally ambiguous thriller that I was keen to make to the big screen.

PC: You and Micah [Ranum] had a very collaborative relationship on this project. What was that process like? What were the major ideas that you exchanged back and forth?
Robin: I’m always seeing how I can tweak things, seeing how I can make it more set in the universe that I’m trying to create. One of the biggest changes we made was the age when the daughter disappears. We made it a lot older because I felt that would make it feel more painful.

The opening scene is also very different. While I was driving around on location, I saw this waterfall. I thought, “I have to put this into the movie.” I called Micah and had him look at it, and he was like, “That’s great,” and that’s how we created the opening scene.

PC: This is the first film that you’ve directed in English. Did anything surprise you about the experience? What was the biggest takeaway?
Robin: It’s different. Here in Belgium, your movie gets funded through the government. It’s more of a business. People have financial interest in the movie, which changes the whole dynamic. That was something different. Everybody’s got two or three people working for them and you have to keep everybody satisfied in such a way. It’s important that you are clear and keep your vision.

PC: What is the biggest lesson you learned directing this film?
Robin: Bring warm clothes to Canada with you. [laughs] I really underestimated the weather. Also, Nikolaj has so much experience. He taught me so much. He’s done so much with shows like Game of Thrones. I didn’t have to explain to him where I was going to put the camera. He knows where I’m going to put the camera. It was very cool to do.

PC: In your director’s statement, you mentioned that you have a deep personal connection to the themes within the film. Can you share a little bit more insight to that?
Robin: My family has dealt with alcoholism, and a lot of my friends too. It’s something that I’ve had a personal relationship with. That’s why I gravitated towards this script. All these characters are battling with their demons in their own way. That’s something that I relate to as well. They try to undo mistakes from their past. In the film, things only get worse when they do that.

PC: The film is out now. What do you hope audiences take away?
Robin: I don’t want to be the director who says, “You’ve got to take this away or take that away.” The most important thing for audiences is that they’re entertained and spend ninety-three minutes on the edge of their seats.