''Silence of the Heart'' is a 1984 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

starring

Charlie Sheen Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as ''Platoon'' (1986), ''Wall Street'' (1987), '' Young Guns'' (1988), '' The Rookie'' (1990), ''The Thr ...

Chad Lowe Charles Davis Lowe II (born January 15, 1968) is an American actor. He is the younger brother of actor Rob Lowe. He won an Emmy Award for his supporting role in '' Life Goes On'' as a young man living with HIV. He has had recurring roles on '' ...

Mariette Hartley Mary Loretta Hartley (born June 21, 1940) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for work with Bill Bixby on ''The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series), The Incredible Hulk'' (1978) and ''Goodnight, Beantown'' (1983–1984), ...

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, Howard Hesseman and

Silvana Gallardo Sandra Silvana Gallardo (January 13, 1953 – January 2, 2012) was an American film and television actress. Born in New York City, Gallardo's television credits include episodes of '' Starsky & Hutch'', ''Lou Grant'', '' Quincy'', ''Hill Stree ...

, directed by Richard Michaels and written by Phil Penningroth. The film was considered groundbreaking for the time period and heralded a coming trend of films that dealt with teenage suicide, a topic previously not discussed in family film, with an emphasis on the surviving family of a teenager who commits suicide.

Plot

Skip Lewis (

) is a 17-year-old boy who has been having academic problems. A girl named Andrea, whom he has been pursuing, has told him that she has no interest in him. He tries to talk to his parents (

& Howard Hesseman) about this but can't bring himself to, thinking that they won't understand. He commits suicide by driving his car over a cliff onto rocks. Now, his parents are in denial saying that his death was an accident. However, his best friend, Ken Cruze (

) who was the last person he saw before his death, was told by Skip that he was considering killing himself and is feeling guilty that he didn't try to stop him. Skip's sister Cindy (

) tries to bring her family out of denial so they can heal.

Partial cast

as Ken Cruze (his first acting role) *

as Barbara Lewis *

as Cindy Lewis * Howard Hesseman as Carl Lewis *

as Skip Lewis *

as Alice Roberti * Elizabeth Berridge as Penny *

Alexandra Powers Alexandra Kristin Powers is an American former actress. Early life Powers was born in New York City. She grew up in an 'artsy, liberal environment' on both coasts with her divorced parents. Her father teaches acting. She said in an interview th ...

as Andrea *

Ray Girardin Raymond George Girardin Jr. (January 23, 1935 – February 28, 2019) was an American film, stage, and television actor. Life and career Girardin was born in Wakefield, Massachusetts. After graduating from Wakefield High School he joined the ...

as Harris *

Sherilyn Fenn Sherilyn Fenn (born Sheryl Ann Fenn; February 1, 1965) is an American actress and author. She came to attention for her performance as Audrey Horne on the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) for which she was nominated for a Go ...

as Monica * Melissa Hayden as Rachel *

Casey Siemaszko Kazimierz Andrew "Casey" Siemaszko (; born March 17, 1961) is an American actor. Personal life Siemaszko was born in Chicago and grew up on the city's northwest side. He attended Saint Ignatius College Preparatory School and graduated from the ...

as Jeff * Jeffrey Lampert as Mr. Bonaducci * Steve Eastin as Ed Rintal *

Leslie Bega Leslie Rae Bega (born April 17, 1967) is an American former actress. Early life and education Bega was born in Los Angeles to a Sephardi Jewish father and Russian Jewish mother. Her paternal grandparents came to the United States from Spain. ...

as Cindy *

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as Dan Norlan * Lynette Mettey as Marilyn Cruze * Jaleel White as Hanry * David L. Crowley as Mourner (as David Crowley)

Critical reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' wrote "In any television project of this sort, the dramatization elements tend to be shaped by requirements usually associated with a ''how-to'' manual. This is the problem, we are told, and this is the way to cope with it. Experts are recruited. (''Silence of the Heart'' lists Charlotte Ross, director of the Suicide Prevention and Crisis Center of California's San Mateo County, as ''technical adviser.'') Not infrequently, dramatic clout gets lost in the authenticity shuffle. Fortunately, this is not the case with ''Silence of the Heart,'' a David A. Simons Production made in association with Tisch/Avnet Productions. Steve Tisch and Jon Avnet, the executive producers, have been steadily compiling an impressive television record since the release of their film ''Risky Business'' and this production gives them still another solid credit. Phil Penningroth's script and Richard Michaels's direction are effectively restrained, avoiding unnecessary melodrama. (The use of a volume of Sylvia Plath's poetry is a trifle pat bud not entirely out of order.)"

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0088115, Silence of the Heart 1984 television films 1984 films 1980s teen drama films American teen drama films Films about suicide CBS network films Films scored by Georges Delerue Films directed by Richard Michaels 1980s English-language films 1980s American films