END OF QUIET, THE

(director/writer: Kasper Bisgaard, Mikael Lypinski; screenwriter: Charlotte Munch Bengtsen; cinematographer: Mikael Lypinski; editors: Charlotte Munch Bengtsen, Johan Lofstedt; music: Uno Helmersson; cast: Felix James Lockman, David Warner, Kirsten Wolfe, Frankie Lambert, Michael Holstine, Clover Kreger, Willard Pingley, Brionna Hedrick; Runtime: 83; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Sarah Stockmann; Sonntag Pictures; 2025-Sweden, Denmark-in English)

“I appreciated the info, the fine visuals and seeing something unique I wasn’t aware of.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

The slow moving but thoughtful educational documentary is co-directed and co-written by the Dane filmmaker Kasper Bisgaard (“Choka!”/”The Kampala Story”) and Swedish filmmaker Mikael Lypinski (“Desert Coffee”/”Unpaved”). I appreciated the info, the fine visuals and seeing something unique I wasn’t aware of, but the film didn’t overwhelm me.

Green Bank is a town of 150 residents in rural West Virginia that’s now a Quiet Zone. In 1958 it became the home of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, that houses the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope. The instrument is operated by the astronomer Dr. Lockman. It has the ability to hear the buzz from signals across the universe. WI-FI and cell phones are banned because of its presence, causing the residents to live without modern devices.

The film is divided into two sections: Part 1: The Quiet and Part 2: The Noise. 

The Quiet part examines the science taking place and freely talks with the community about life in their unusual town. The most outrageous chat is with a hunter named David, who is a right-wing gun enthusiast.

The Noise part shows how bleak the isolation could get for some residents.

It concludes by asking challenging questions that are still not known about the universe.

It played at the Tribeca Film Festival.

REVIEWED ON 8/19/2025  GRADE: B
dennisschwartzreviews.com