The male equivalent of Single White Female, The Silent Thief follows a disturbed British drifter’s efforts to adopt another man’s personality. The audience immediately feels Toby Hemingway’s unnerving presence. It’s a shame that the family rents their son’s (Cody Longo) room to this shy stranger.
The daughter (Scout Taylor-Compton) finds herself drawn to this young man of mystery, which causes tension when Longo returns from college. Longo senses something is wrong with Hemingway, who likely has a borderline personality disorder and desires Longo’s place in the family.
Without stooping to cheap sensationalism, director Jennifer Clary lets the events unfold in chilling but predictable fashion. Her intelligent approach to Hemingway’s slow descent into madness sets The Silent Thief apart from the crop of lurid psychosexual thrillers that dominated theaters in the early 1990s. Unfortunately, like The Roommate, 2011’s unofficial remake of Single White Female, The Silent Thief doesn’t quite possess enough unique personality traits to establish its own identity.
The Silent Thief will screen 6:45 p.m. Sunday and Wednesday at the Muvico Parisian, 545 Hibiscus St., West Palm Beach. Tickets are $10, $7 for students and seniors.
IF YOU GO
What: Palm Beach International Film Festival.Where: Muvico Parisian 20 at CityPlace in West Palm Beach, Cobb Theatres Downtown 16 in Palm Beach Gardens, Stonzek Theatre at the Lake Worth Playhouse, Debilzan Gallery in Delray Beach and Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center in Boca Raton.
When: Through April 19.
For more information: Tickets are available in advance at pbifilmfest.org or at theater box offices during the festival. For information, visit the website or call (561) 362-0003.
Source: Palm Beach Daily News
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