No dialogue, no subtitles but one hell of a ride…
I think it is safe to say that we all have at least one friend who, at the thought of having to watch a subtitled film, recoils in fear at the suggestion of doing so. Now imagine telling that same friend about a film from Ukraine, which has no subtitles, no dialogue and is entirely in sign language. That is The Tribe. Running at just over 2 hours in length, The Tribe is without doubt one of the most innovative and brutally shocking pieces of cinema in recent years.
The story follows a deaf mute teenage boy as he joins a specialist boarding school. He soon discovers there is a lot more to the school and the students extra curricular activities than meets the eye. To survive and gain respect in this world he finds himself in he has to plunge deeper into the Tribe and its world of prostitution, exploitation and violence.
The concept of an entire film in only sign language is a somewhat scary concept for those who have no grasp of the language at all. The question on everyone’s lips is always that of “how much will I actually be able to follow?”, the answer to this relies heavily on the ability of the actors within the piece,in this instance director Miroslav Slaboshpitsky has struck gold. With a cast made up of almost completely unknowns and amateurs The Tribe never feels weak or lost in its acting. If anything the physical expression of the language itself heightens he arguments, fights and everything in between.
This is a very gritty film, which doesn’t necessarily come across from the overall synopsis. Along with the expected nudity and sex (you just need to look at the poster) there are other sequences which certain viewers will no doubt find uncomfortable to watch, but at no point are they tasteless. There are few directors who can create these sequences successfully (think Steve McQueen and 12 Years a Slave) but Slaboshpitsky is one of them. Long hovering shots which just won’t look away mixed with some beautiful Steadicam work give The Tribe a fluid feel which in some ways make you feel like an accomplice to everything you see.
The fact that the film has no dialogue or subtitles loses its impact after the first 30 minutes. From then on you simply forget about the lack of dialogue, everything becomes clear. The decision of the director to not include a single piece of dialogue, even when a non deaf mute is in the scene, means that as an audience we almost forget about the existence of speech and enter into the world of the characters and view it in a similar way to them. There are points that the lack of dialogue actually heightens the scenes to another level. During one of the most shocking sequences of the film the lack of sound brings the intensity of the situation to an entire new level while the camera sits, almost motionless for what seems like an age. Despite their content, some of the best moments in this film are these awkward and shocking sequences, which are done in such a way so that they don’t cross that invisible line into ‘bad taste’.
★★★★ – Overall The Tribe is a beautiful hybrid of art-house, world and silent cinema all rolled up into one. There are sequences, camera moves and compositions which will stay with you for a long time afterwards. Whilst it is shocking and haunting, it doesn’t go any further than it needs to and sits right on the edge. The thing to remember is this is a first time direction from someone who does not speak sign language at all, yet managed to get these beautiful and bold performances from a group of deaf dumb young unknown actors.
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