Ciúnas (Silence) | Award-winning Irish language film about a family facing a crisis 

Niki, my god. Thank you so much for this beautiful reply, your message and words mean so much to me. I'm so glad you enjoyed the film, I'm very proud of the work we all did on it and its amazing to be able to share the film now with people from all over the world. Thanks again for your words. Tristan :)

This is infinitely better than anything which has come out of Hollywood in the past 20 years. Human stories told quietly with subtlety sans the formulaic drivel produced by the Hollywood corporations.

That was well said and you nailed it. 🌟💜🕊

Wow… if I ever get a critic like this for my work, I would frame it. :) Thank you.

❤

Thank you. Do you have any idea how positive that is?

I think a fair number of people have had moments or even days where they thought about doing the unthinkable but thankfully, that old saying that “This too shall pass” becomes fact for most of us. ‘A permanent solution to a temporary problem’ is the absolute truth.

My final conclusion was well I don't have anything to live for now, but maybe I will find something someday...

The thing is, I sometimes think my family won't be feel burden when I'm gone. Ofc they'll sad but time flies...they will eventually move on. But anyway..

Thank you so much Neal, beautifully observed. I'm the writer & director of the short. I'm so glad you enjoyed it :)

@@tristanheanue7168 So kind of you to respond. Thank you for doing so. Very much appreciated.

@@nealklein3181 Thank you so much for watching, it's so great to hear peoples thoughts on the film :)

But still I didn't get anything would you explain what happened in the whole video​@@tristanheanue7168

Wow. Yes. Beautifully said

Agree with you. Btw, East India people are the world's longest running colonizers/occupiers of South Asia, SE Asia.... 5000+ years and continuing, though they are excellent in hiding it. They are currently colonizing Northern SE Asia, killing Asian societies, cultures. The plight of the locals are similar to the American natives.... forced alcoholism, rapes, silent genocide, forced poverty, total destruction of the last remaining original Asian matriarchal, matrilineal societies, etc.

Right, your observation is really amazing

well said, until you said i s r e a l i e people; darling, they are the occupiers of P a l e s t i n e!

Amazing observation.

Wow! Thank you so much for your beautiful words, I'm so happy the film resonated with you. I'm Tristan, the writer & director. :)

on first pass it's a beautiful reflection... however the challenge is that there is so much more between "if.... shoulds" and the simplistic if everyone would just oppose the culture, while lovely in intent, is kinda like tossing the baby out with the bathwater... it's not about opposing anything, it's about accepting all... all the messy, ickyness that is to be human... and sometimes silence is not about swallowing our tongues but is a reflection in we are human beings not human doings or human talkings but human beings and sometimes the act of just being says more than all the words in the universe...

You sound young. And without children. Social media can be a heavy burden on teens. Suicide is real and the rates have been going up for 15-24 year-olds. As a mother of four who saw how social media became a venue for bullying and peer pressure, I find no issue with "feelings being hidden." She knows her father. She knew he saw her cuts and then had to excuse himself. It's why the mother sat next to her to hold her hand. The feelings were not hidden. They were known. When a tree falls in the forest, it makes a noise.

@@AstroBear11 Thank you so much, delighted you enjoyed it :)

So beautifully expressed. This is a wonderful film. I plan to watch it again when its done and then once again with a good friend.

Well said😉

Thanks so much Sven, so glad you enjoyed it :)

Thank you so much for your kind words, I'm delighted you enjoyed it:)

So emotionally moving in such a short amount if time. Unbelievable. I love this short film.

Thank you so much:)

Thanks so much Gary :)

Thank you so much for the kind words, I'm delighted you enjoyed the film. Tristan

Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it :)

Yeah this should have millions of views .

@@Silkytoaster I really appreciate you watching and your kind words :)

absolutely, profound pesence..

Because the possibility of translation stay closed to the screen on the web site....( c'est en Gaélique..je ferais un message à you tube pour que ce film soit avec la traduction car il est bien 👍

I wondered about the kid in the beginning but by the end of the film, it all made sense.

Just curious as an Irish speaker myself, what do you think Irish sounds like?

It's wonderful to hear it spoken in its natural setting. As a Canadian, I would've assumed that it'd be spoken as a seldom-used second language after English. It's interesting to see a family order food in a restaurant using it. George, Sudbury, Canada

@@EMMYK1916 I'm guessing your "Tally Stick" doesn't have any notches in it.

@@saltysteve7834 Don't know what a "tally stick" is is.

@@EMMYK1916 The "tally stick", or "bata scoir" in Irish, was introduced into classrooms. Children attending school had to wear a stick on a piece of string around their necks. Each time they used Irish, a notch was cut into the stick. At the end of the day, they would be punished according to how many notches they had on their stick.

Thank you so much:)

The way the mother gently moved the jacket from the wrist🥺🥺

Thank you so much Benjamin, so glad you enjoyed it:)

Hooray for short films!

Thank you for your kind words, delighted you enjoyed it:)

Thank you so much for watching:)

Thank you so much for your words. Delighted you enjoyed it. Tristan

Thank you so much for those words, delighted you enjoyed it :)

Thank you so much for your words, you explained it perfectly. I'm so glad you enjoyed the film. Tristan (writer/director)

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Thank you so much for your comments, I'm delighted the film connected with you. Tristan

Thank you so much, I'm so glad you liked it :)

Thank you so much for your words ❤

Or Lord Christ you healed the lepers, you raised the dead, now we ask you to pour out Your powerful healing on those who suffer in this way. Thank you.

Amen . 🙏

Thanks a lot.🙏👍

I don't know what kind of half Irish you learned in school, but toilet has always been Leithreas..

@@kingofcelts Haha was just going to comment on that lol! Cá bhfuil na leithris? 🚽😦?

Cén teanga atá tú ag iarraidh a labhairt? Is cinnte nach bhfuil aon chanúint ar eolas agam. 😂 What language are you trying to speak? It is certainly not any dialect that I know of.

Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. 😊

@@tristanheanue7168 Enjoyed it? It had me in my feelings. It was the emotions berween all that damn silence and I love the mother and daughter interaction. The dad's wink and the daughter's smile just pushed me over the emotional ledge. Is there any way I can purchase this from you? Because I'd gladly do it. Question. Can I repost this on my Instagram page? I'd do it in a heart beat, with all your information of course. It's so good. (sighs) you are extremely good at your craft.

@@tristanheanue7168 Can I purchase this somehow? Like online somewhere? I want to take it to movie night with friends.

So sorry, I'm only seeing this last comment now. There is no purchase option but I could send it to you in any form you'd like ao you can screen it. And please share wherever you feel. Thank you so much for watching, its beautiful to hear peoples thoughts on the film. Tristan

@@tristanheanue7168 that would be amazing. I would love to watch it with a big group of friends and watch the reactions in the room. Now how could you send it to me? 🤔 Via email but it might be too big a file. Via my Instagram page? How can I give you either privately?

at first yes, but wrist bandage suggest a suicide attempt

Hello, I'm the writer and director of the film. My sister Samantha plays the nurse :)

@@tristanheanue7168 How delightful ! I appreciate. I love NITV shorts because they are honest, psychologically true and well made. So is your short movie, thank you.

Thank you so much, I'm delighted you enjoyed it.

@@tristanheanue7168 can you explain the film? I didn't quite get the meaning behind it

@@tristanheanue7168 how did you get the inspiration for it? or who drove you to make it (if anyone).

When they were seated at the table and daughter changed into the fresh "jumper" her mother had brought along, her bare arms became visible and she had bandages from the hospital on her wrists which indicated that she had attempted suicide by slitting the veins in her wrists (but she had either been found in time by someone and taken to hospital, or, she had regretted it immediately and she got help on her own). As soon as her wrists are visible and the father becomes overwhelmed with emotion and excuses himself to go privately emote and get his bearings and calm down again, the rest of the parts of the story all add up and make a lot more sense.

@@sparkythancztwise What about the boy? How do you know he was part of the problem?

@@ioanagrancea6091 How do I "know he was part of the problem"? I don't. I am confused why you asked that question, and in that way. I didn't mention the boy. At all. Moreover, I do not suspect that he was suggested (within the storyline and events) to have been part of whatever the problem was that stressed the girl out enough to slit her own wrists. The demeanor of the father, when he mentions whose son the young man/boy is, does not indicate in any way at all that there is any emotional disturbance, distress or anger associated with him. Only a matter of fact sort of tone, indicating they know his family and the father thinks it'd be the proper thing to perhaps give him a ride. The relationship between the parents is depicted through his deference to her wishes, even though he is concerned about the boy being confused about why they didn't give him a ride. Also, in that he brought her tea even though she was a bit terse and said she didn't want anything at the petrol & shop stop. He is showing her kindnesses and tending to her gently, aware of her fragile emotional state. He noticed her looking at the child in the car and understood why she was struggling and felt her with limbic resonance and empathy. She accepted the tea, instead of saying "I didn't want anything and said so" because it indicates they have a loving relationship and that she appreciated his gesture. She also appreciated his putting her inability to cope with acting as if things were normal (by not giving the boy a ride). It was difficult for the father to drive on, but he recognized why she needed privacy and probably then recognized himself that it was a relief to keep to themselves under the circumstances. [Circumstances that are at that point still a mystery.] The only clear hint we are granted about what contributed to the daughter's suicide attempt in the narrative of events is the mother's reaction when the daughter asks about her phone. There is certainly an implied blame on something to do with what the phone grants access to and whatever the source of pain was which pushed the daughter to self-harm. All other elements of the storyline indicate serene balance and happiness. The daughter has a horse she loves, the parents took care of the horse for her, the mother sat in her room struggling emotionally, the mother emotionally noticed another mother and young daughter together, and the mother said "they" brought her a clean jumper and some things (a sign of caring), and the mother's gesture of gentle touch and assistance with her daughter's nails (with comments about her biting them which are not excessively critical but are said with care), all these things are accepted by the daughter. Including the denial of the phone. And the way the daughter apologized does not indicate a family abuse scenario but an acknowledgement of a loving family and remorse for her choice which almost cost her more than she truly wanted to sacrifice. She said as much, in simple terms, cutting off her words because she knew her mother understood, and forgave her. We can only guess at what upset the girl. Unhealthy influences of social media and/or possibly online bullying. We are not given any kind of of hints at all. The two boys in the story were neutral, or even hinted as positive in their community. There was care expressed by the father and the daughter about the boy who was injured by a horse. And the boy who was walking and wanted a ride was clearly only denied (even though the father knew his father and thought he should offer a ride), because they were in a delicate emotional state and on the way to pick up their daughter and it was too much of a stretch and could have been awfully awkward to invite a third person into the automobile. Under the circumstances, polite chat would have been a strain.

@@ioanagrancea6091 p.s. I suppose the fact that two boys were even mentioned or shown in the story could be taken as a very subtle hint (even though no evidence was implied), that her distress leading to suicide attempt could have had something to do with heartbreak over some boy. But it's a stretch since there isn't any sort of direct indication. She said she only wanted to text a few friends when she asked for her phone. The audience is only given a broad scope of influences to attempt to surmise a cause of the problem the daughter had experienced. There is certainly no hint of her having been brutalized or violated before she landed in medical care.

same question i had... hope someone answers.

The phone possibly was a conduit of one of the sources of distress burdening the young woman; in her mother’s eye’s. Because the mother loves her daughter and so, along with her father, feels great pain and complicated anguish regarding their daughter’s despair, the mother is coping by trying to “fix” or “control” their circumstances in an effort or attempt to remedy the pain her daughter is experiencing. Her husband and daughter understand that this is her way, though the father does appeal to his wife to be more gentle. But I think the three of them understand there is deep love between them and we all have idiosyncratic ways of expressing our love and also of our pain, grief and despair. The parents are trying to navigate a situation for which one cannot really prepare for and is unique in it’s peculiar complexities of deep love, regret, grief, perhaps anger, disappointment, shame, remorse, anguish, self-blame, sadness, but also relief and possibly in some situations hope. Amongst multiple nuanced and complicated responses and emotions. Tye parents do their best to keep their own feelings of devastation and despair from taking over so they may be loving supports for their daughter’s recovery. Got sidetracked from the phone though. I think peer, social, and the general pressures of growing up in contemporary society where factors the mother felt held some responsibility for her daughter attempting to end her life, and her instinct to protect her daughter from destructive forces identified the phone as leaving her daughter vulnerable. Though I also imagine the mother gaining a wider gaze as they retreat some distance from the pivotal tragedy. This was a stunning short film. I was very moved. I have survived a suicide attempt as a younger person. Now a parent to two teenagers whom I love more savagely than I imagined possible, I grieve once more in a deepening understanding of how deeply my suicidal behaviour must have carved despair into my parents and immediate family. The film provoked thought, emotion, and allowed me a glimpse into other people’s experiences with beauty, insight, which is more than one could hope for in a film, let alone a 12 minute one which was free to view. Thank you

@@camcoolbananas Thank you so much for this beautiful comment, you understood the film perfectly and I'm so happy you connected with it. Thank you for watching. Tristan (Writer/Director)

tldr = toxic social media bullying, she attempted to suicide, mother blame phone instead of suckerberg. end of story.

Éire..

It was filmed in Connemara, Co. Galway. Specifically Letterfrack & Derryinver :)

@@tristanheanue7168 Tristan Heanue ... You truly inherited a gift. You seemingly effortlessly conveyed so much in such a gifted and minimal manner. I cannot express in words how appreciative I am of your ability and of the gift you inherited but please know my sentiments are genuine and profound. I am proud of the heritage we share with our ancestors and their descendants. Go raibh míle maith agat!

Go raibh míle maith agat :)

Their daughter had attempted to take her own life.

@@marygeorge9662 wait i’m confused lol, how can u tell? what gave it off

@@Nicole-gm4rk The bandages on both her wrists at 8.44

Maybe because they are not able to understand the situation trying to do their best.

@@Nicole-gm4rk -- I'm old and don't understand my language anymore. What do you mean by "lol"? I know it literally means "laughing out loud" But I'm sure you don't literally mean that. You asked how do we know the daughter tried to commit suicide and that you are confused LOL. I can't believe you really meant that you were laughing that a young girl tried to kill herself. Or even that you were confused about it. So what does lol mean nowadays. And this is not just aimed at you. I've had this wondering with other young people in my experience who used lol in contexts where I couldn't see anything funny was being mentioned. Thank you.

....grace of God, there go I.

Ar an drochuair tá ceart agat. Is mór an náire é. Ag an am céanna tá súil agam go tiocfaidh an teanga arís i mbéal na daoine

She tried to kill herself by slashing her veins .....

@@iwona6201 Reason for her attempt ? Is somehow horses connected to the plot?

@@quizdayz Family problems.

@@iwona6201 How helpful 💀

Think the girl attempted to commit suicide by slicing her wrists.

Thank you so much, I'm delighted you enjoyed it :)

Hello, there are certain parts of the country where the irish language is still spoken, but the majority speak English.

@@tristanheanue7168 yeah I ve already made my research on this topic. Many Irish people seem to feel sorry for not speaking their own language fluently.

Ah well we do..after the 'gaeilge' was knocked out of us. ...but thankfully small pockets of communities called ' An Gealtacht' still exist where irish is the primary language

@@dr.livesea Yes, it's a real shame :(

An bhfuil tú thíos leis an gcóras oideachais iontach Meiriceánach seo a chloisimid faoi?

incorrect

Thank you so much, delighted you enjoyed the film :)

Connemara, Co. Galway 😊

Thanks I couldn't tell from the accent bc I'm from county down so I can't really tell western accents apart that well

She reminded her of her own daughter, and you could infer that she was thinking about her at that age, when she was her 'little girl' and wondering what happened to her to make her want to take her own life.

TYSM for explaining that she was harming herself I was clueless?

I feel like the girl had attempted to commit suicide by slicing her wrists.

-due to the social media bullying she exposed

Thank you so much for watching :)