Director-writer Suman Sen and co-writer Bijon’s short film, The Silent Echo, is a tale about the realities associated with following your dreams. Our story takes place on a remote mountain top in the valley landscape of Nepal. Taking advantage of the mountain’s acoustics, four poor teenagers sit in a derelict bus and sing a haunting song of hardship. With no internet, this is how they spend their days, and at this moment in time, it’s all they need. So they sing with harmonies, a guitar, and the bus as their drum.
Their mini-concert is interrupted by a radio call from their friend in town. The quartet has an opportunity to audition for a talent show called The Golden Offer. This is their chance at a better life. The teens now scramble to find the money to pay for the bus ride to the audition.
“…four poor teenagers sit in a derelict bus and sing a haunting song of hardship.”
There are two twists in The Silent Echo. These twists, one involving the audition and the other the aftermath, are not worth spoiling but, in both cases, hit the heart and emotion of the lives the teens live. The story is about hope and the lengths we’ll go to find it and the realities of life when we do.
As far as the film’s young leads go, it’s hard not to fall in love with them and wish them the best. But, they also show you don’t need modern American conveniences to find happiness. The filmmakers capture the beauty of this remote area and even make a broken-down, rusted bus its centerpiece.
The Silent Echo drops us into a world that finds contentment in our friendships. That is a powerful lesson to learn, no matter where you live or what your dreams are.
"…about hope and the lengths we'll go to find it..."
