Directed by leading actress Karyna Kudzina and Michael Vaynberg, written by Kudzina and Saro Varjabedian, in a desperate bid to secure a future for her child, an undocumented immigrant mother takes a caretaker job. Unbeknownst to her, the elderly man conceals a horrifying truth. Also starring: Chris LaPanta, Rebecca Packer, Tim Shelburne, Monte Bezell, Michael Doyle and Lorianna Izrailova.

The concept for Silence of the Prey makes perfect sense in today’s increasingly xenophobic, racist and anti-immigration world, it plays right into those themes but sadly, not successfully. It has one quite simple issue which is that when everything is suspicious, nothing truly is. There’s such a constant onslaught of red flags that there’s nowhere for it to go other than down a painfully transparent path. It simply can’t build any mystery or tension to serve the story it wants to tell.

Unfortunately, those are issues that are then compacted by the directorial style and cinematography. It feels particularly one-noted and the atmosphere is missing a sense of urgency to match what should be an extreme sense of danger. It also has a penchant for unnecessary slow-motion which just draws things out even more.

When you then turn to the performances to bring energy and emotion into the mix, they simply aren’t there. It’s the same problem again that when it’s repeatedly hitting obvious notes, there’s no layers or surprises to offer. To her credit Karyna Kudzina does try to round out Nina as a character, to show both her vulnerability and strength, but those attempts are undermined by the writing. Whereas Chris LaPanta’s performance feels overly simplistic, it follows the rulebook for creepy, untrustworthy vibes and being overly nice to compensate.

Silence of the Prey tries to make a political or meaningful statement on immigrants and the inhumanity they can face but it’s beyond its reach. The story is utterly transparent and you can guess where it’s going right off the bat, leaving little for it to offer. The aesthetic and direction feel lacking going in and they don’t really ever improve. It feels as though the filmmakers had lofty goals and not enough to work with to see them through.

Verdict: ✯ | 2/10

Screened as part of the Golden State Film Festival and set to be released on May 15 on VOD & Digital in the US, UK, Ireland, Australia & New Zealand – For more info visit thehorrorcollective.com/film/silence-of-the-prey