The Silencing 2020

As the curtain opens, a lifeless figure clad in vibrant attire drifts lazily down the white-water rapids, a surreal introduction to a world where the boundaries between life and death are blurred. Meanwhile, in a distant corner of this realm, two hunters stand poised to unleash their wrath upon an unsuspecting deer. Rayburn Swanson (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), a man haunted by his past, intervenes, confiscating their weapons and sternly warning them that they are trespassing on sacred ground.

As the tension dissipates, we are introduced to Rayburn’s life outside of the sanctuary. He returns home to his loyal canine companion, Thor, and tends to his surveillance equipment, ever vigilant for any signs of trouble within the boundaries he has sworn to protect.

Sheriff Alice Gustafson (Annabelle Wallis) is summoned to a potential homicide investigation, where she finds herself dealing with her troubled younger brother, Brooks (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), who has been involved in a heated altercation at the notorious Factory. As Alice drives Brooks home, he reveals that his troubles stem from a dispute over a woman and hints at a deeper conspiracy involving Olson and Sam Moonblood.

Rayburn’s life takes a turn as he hosts a school field trip, his inebriated state only adding to the sense of unease. He regales the children with tales of the sanctuary’s vast expanse, 50 square miles of unspoiled wilderness that he has dedicated himself to protecting. As the kids ask pointed questions about his past as a prolific hunter, Rayburn reveals that he has left that life behind, a decision driven by his daughter Gwen’s disapproval.

As Alice and her team investigate the discovery of a young girl’s body, they are met with the gruesome reality of post-mortem dumping in the water. The presence of an embedded spearhead with a vertical scar on the throat area suggests that the victim may have been hunted for sport, leaving Alice and her colleagues to grapple with the dark truth.

Rayburn’s world is turned upside down as he searches for his missing 14-year-old daughter, Gwen, putting up desperate posters around town. His journey takes him full circle when he encounters Debbie (Melanie Scrofano), his ex-wife and Blackhawk’s wife, who reveals that she has organized a funeral for Gwen, with a formal declaration of presumptive death required to secure a death certificate.

As Alice delves deeper into the mystery surrounding the spearhead, she discovers an emblem “MB” hidden within its depths, a finding that hints at a sinister plot lurking in the shadows.

As the somber news of an unidentified young girl’s body being discovered reverberates through the community, Rayburn (character) arrives home, his mind heavy with a mix of emotions. The gravity of the situation becomes even more pronounced as he pays a visit to his sibling, Brooks (actor name), and is privy to the tragic tale of their parents’ demise. The conversation also reveals that Brooks had suffered at the hands of his foster caregivers, forced to endure inhumane treatment and confinement in a barn.

This dark history serves as a poignant backdrop as Brooks turns to Alice, seeking reassurance that she would stand by him if he were ever embroiled in a situation that was morally dubious. The momentary pause is interrupted by Rayburn’s arrival, his eyes fixed intently on Alice as he implores her to guide him through the process of viewing the Jane Doe body at the morgue. Their visit yields a crucial revelation: it is not Gwen they are looking at.

As the night wears on, Alice finds herself drawn to the local watering hole, where she encounters Rayburn in a state of introspection. Her determination to prove her mettle to the community is rekindled by the prospect of finding Gwen, a quest that has gone cold after five long years. However, Rayburn’s skepticism suggests that this might be an insurmountable task.

The next morning dawns with a jarring discovery for Rayburn: someone in a camouflaged ghillie suit has tampered with one of his sanctuary cameras, leaving behind a trail of destruction and disarray. He takes it upon himself to construct a makeshift hunting kit and ventures back to the scene of the crime. As he navigates the treacherous terrain, he finds himself facing off against an unseen assailant, who leaves him wounded but ultimately escapes.

With his vehicle rendered immobile by the damage, Rayburn is forced to make the arduous trek on foot, stumbling upon another abandoned pickup truck along the way. He discreetly defaces the fuel tank with a small “x” before setting off towards home once more.

As he delves into the surveillance footage, it becomes clear that the perpetrator has been tracking human prey. Rayburn’s determination to apprehend the hunter leads him on a merry chase through the forest, only to be outwitted time and again.

Meanwhile, Alice pays a visit to a local outfitter, hoping to glean some insight from his extensive knowledge of hunting gear. His words of wisdom reveal that the spearhead they’ve found is likely the product of an ancient technology – the atlatl – now illegal and rare in modern times. He directs her towards Sam Moonblood, an enigmatic figure rumored to be responsible for crafting these unique weapons.

In a surprising twist, Rayburn stumbles upon the very same hunter’s human quarry, lying motionless in the forest. As he takes it upon himself to care for the unconscious girl, they find shelter in an abandoned underground bunker for the night. The young woman eventually regains consciousness, her silence punctuated only by the occasional scribble on a piece of paper – her name: Molly.

As Alice arrives at the desolate Moonblood residence, an eerie silence greets her. The only signs of life are the atlatls spearheads adorned with the distinctive “MB” initials, a haunting discovery that sets her mind racing. Her sudden encounter with Blackhawk, who had been tracking her, yields a photo of Molly, whose disappearance has sent shockwaves through the community. Blackhawk reveals that Molly’s mother has connections to the notorious Factory district, where she allegedly got into a heated altercation with none other than Brooks. Alice is incredulous at the notion that her brother could be involved in the kidnapping, while Blackhawk’s expression suggests he considers it a distinct possibility.

The following morning, Alice pays a visit to Brooks’ residence, only to find him absent, but his presence lingers in the form of newspaper clippings detailing a string of kidnappings. Meanwhile, Rayburn and Molly continue their trek on foot, taking periodic breaks to rest and recharge. During one such pause, Rayburn shows Molly a photograph of Gwen, an unfamiliar face that leaves her perplexed. Their journey eventually leads them to Rayburn’s residence, where the sound of Thor whimpering sets the tone for what’s to come. As they enter, they’re met with the unexpected ambush by the hunter, still shrouded in his ghillie suit. Molly valiantly attempts to fend off the attacker, but a swift spear thrust leaves her wounded.

Just as Alice arrives at the scene, intending to question Rayburn about the confiscated weapons, she finds herself face-to-face with the hunter, who’s quickly subdued by her gunpoint. However, upon recognizing Brooks’ distinctive knuckle cracking habit, her suspicions are confirmed, and she turns the tables on Rayburn instead, firing shots that allow her brother to escape. Unbeknownst to Alice, Rayburn also manages to slip away, making his way back to Blackhawk’s residence to recount his harrowing ordeal to Debbie.

As Alice seeks backup and issues a warrant for Rayburn’s arrest, she remains unaware of the events unfolding at Blackhawk’s home. It’s there that Rayburn receives medical attention from Dr. Boone (Shaun Smyth) and shares his tale of woe with Blackhawk and Debbie. Brooks happens to arrive shortly after, seeking drugs, but his timing is foiled by a high-stakes foot chase, culminating in his arrest by Blackhawk. When Alice learns of the developments, she arrives at the scene, only to be met with resistance from Blackhawk, who stands firm in his conviction that Rayburn’s account is true and refuses to permit her access to her brother.

As the investigation unfolds, Brooks leads the authorities - including Alice and Blackhawk - to the rustic barn that holds a sinister secret. There, they discover Sam Moonblood (Gregory Odjig), bound and silenced, a pawn in a larger game of deceit. Blackhawk’s revelation that Brooks has been harboring Moonblood since their tumultuous encounter raises more questions than answers, as eyewitnesses place Brooks at the Factory during Alice’s fateful meeting with Rayburn, leaving the true identity of the hunter still shrouded in mystery. Blackhawk’s recommendation to place Alice on leave and investigate her for shooting Rayburn serves only to further muddy the waters, as she calls off the search for the elusive Rayburn.

The following day, Blackhawk summons Alice to interrogate Moonblood, whose cryptic responses offer little insight into the enigmatic hunter’s identity. As Moonblood feigns ignorance about the found spearhead and his customers’ identities, a sense of unease settles over the investigation.

Meanwhile, as Rayburn attempts to detox from his whiskey addiction, a haunting flashback transports him back to the day his daughter vanished from his car while he was distracted by a drink. His inability to let go of that traumatic event is evident in his continued possession of the old bottle, a poignant reminder of his helplessness.

Alice’s visit to the hospital bedside of the gravely injured Molly yields a jarring discovery - the same scar on her throat as the Jane Doe found earlier, hinting at a darker reality. The investigation’s trajectory takes a turn when Rayburn stumbles upon an identical pickup truck, sparking a determined pursuit that culminates in a visit to a seemingly ordinary house.

However, his search is short-lived, as he uncovers a dark room filled with missing persons’ posters and newspaper clippings, alongside the lifeless form of a girl with her throat surgically mutilated. Just as Rayburn’s suspicions are confirmed, Dr. Boone ambushes him, injecting him with a sedative that sends him crashing to the floor. The hunt for the truth has only just begun, but the stakes have never been higher.

As Alice delves deeper into the mystery, she finds herself drawn to the enigmatic Dr. Boone’s office, where she uncovers a haunting truth. The doctor’s personal life is marred by tragedy, having lost his own daughter, Melissa, in a senseless accident involving a drunk driver. A framed photograph of Boone and his deceased child reveals a pendant with the same “MB” initials that adorn the spearheads, sparking Alice’s curiosity.

With police backup, she infiltrates Boone’s residence, only to find the unconscious girl, Gwen Swanson, missing from her usual habitat. Her investigation leads her to Rayburn, who is drifting in and out of consciousness. As she searches for him, she stumbles upon a clue that sets her on a collision course with the elusive hunter: a poster advertising Gwen’s disappearance.

Boone, seemingly driven by a twisted sense of justice, drives Rayburn into the forest, where he dons his hunting gear. Alice tracks them down to the sanctuary, where she witnesses Rayburn being stalked by Boone in the dead of night. Armed and determined, she chases after them, eventually intervening as Rayburn overpowers Boone.

The hunter’s brutal logic is laid bare as he confesses to taking lives that no one would miss. He reveals that his daughter was taken from him, leaving a void that could never be filled. Boone, it seems, has been driven by a similar desire for vengeance. As the two men engage in a fierce struggle, Alice holds Rayburn at gunpoint, forced to confront the monster within.

Boone’s fate is sealed as Rayburn leaves him to suffer in an old, rusted animal trap of his own design. The doctor’s plea to be spared from further suffering falls on deaf ears, as he is abandoned to a slow and agonizing demise.

As the town mourns Gwen’s passing at her funeral, Alice remains fixated on unraveling the mystery. Back at the scene of the crime, the barn where Brooks held his twisted ritual is reduced to rubble. Meanwhile, Dr. Boone’s suspected status as a serial killer spreads like wildfire through the police radio waves.

In the final shot, Rayburn stands poised to pour out a bottle of whiskey, a potent reminder that some wounds may never fully heal. The darkness that has consumed him seems to be an endless abyss, one that will continue to haunt him for eternity.