Unspoken (French: Non-dit) is a 2008 Belgian drama film written and directed by Fien Troch, starring Emmanuelle Devos and Bruno Todeschini.
Plot
The film follows Grace, a woman still grappling with the disappearance of her daughter five years earlier, and her husband Lukas, who is trapped in his own helpless grief. The couple has long since stopped communicating. As Grace confronts a series of small absurdities in her apartment building, Lukas finds himself unable to complete even the simplest of daily tasks. The film explores how, when something truly heartbreaking happens in a family, the deepest response is often left unspoken.
Cast
- Emmanuelle Devos as Grace
- Bruno Todeschini as Lucas
- Patrick Descamps as Monsieur Tournier
- Joffrey Verbruggen as Benjamin
Release and Reception
The film had its world premiere at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. It received high praise from critics and won several awards:
- André Cavens Award – Best Film of 2009 by the Belgian Film Critics Association (UCC)
- Best Female Performance for Emmanuelle Devos at the 26th Torino Film Festival
- Nominated for the Grand Prix at the Flanders International Film Festival Ghent
Production Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Director / Writer | Fien Troch |
| Producer | Antonino Lombardo |
| Cinematography | Frank van den Eeden |
| Editing | Ludo Troch |
| Music | Peter Van Laerhoven |
| Release dates | 5 September 2008 (TIFF) / 18 February 2009 (Belgium) |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | Belgium |
| Language | French |
| Box office | $24,138 |
Note: There are several other films also titled Unspoken or The Unspoken:
- The Unspoken (2015) – A Canadian horror-thriller directed by Sheldon Wilson, starring Jodelle Ferland and Neal McDonough, about a family that vanished from their home in 1997.
- Unspoken (2024) – Directed by Daming Chen, starring Hanyu Zhang and Michael Cudlitz, about a grieving Chinese father who travels to America to collect his daughter and stays to catch the killer.
- Unspoken (LGBTQ+ Holocaust film) – A feature film about a gay, Modern Orthodox teenager who discovers a love letter written to his grandfather by another man before the Holocaust.
- Unspoken (documentary) – A documentary exploring racial division in a small southern town in relation to the 1946 Moore Ford Lynching.
