A documentary about “race, family and identity,” 36-year-old filmmaker Octavio Warnock-Graham's Silences is a thought-provoking and often humorous examination of the reluctance on the part of the director's family to acknowledge that he is biracial. In Washington, D.C., circa 1969, young activist Harriet Warnock became pregnant with “Tav” (Octavio) and made the decision to keep the father's identity a secret (hoping to avoid a battle with her parents). Interweaving small-town Americana shots of the family's stomping grounds in Maumee, OH with interview clips of Tav talking to his grandmother (“you're not black!”), stepsiblings, and other family members, Silences is not your standard finger-pointing Jerry Springer family feud. Tav is simply too good-natured in his curiosity about his roots and he's clearly loved by his relatives, who sound almost bemused as they recall being told various stories about Tav's father being a Native American or a Puerto Rican dancer (one uncle simply says “didn't matter”). Ultimately, Tav mildly confronts his mother and eventually meets his biological father in a heartwarming scene. Silences raises serious questions about race, child raising, and family secrets, but does so without histrionics or acrimony. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)
Silences
(2006) 22 min. DVD: $99: public libraries & high schools; $185: colleges & universities. New Day Films. PPR. ISBN: 1-57448-207-6. Volume 23, Issue 1
Silences
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