Marshall Burnette‘s feature directorial debut Silo, which is inspired by true events, is not your typical rural drama. What starts as a seemingly peaceful day in an American farm town, turns into a race against the clock when a teenager becomes the victim of a grain entrapment accident.
Heavy metal fanatic Cody (Jack DiFalco – The Goldfinch), lives alone with his mom after the tragic loss of his father. While his mother spends her days caring for others in a nearby nursing home, Cody helps out at a farm. When he and two co-workers climb up the 50-foot tall silo that hold tons of corn, to clear out a blocking, an unfortunate incident sets gears into motion, trapping Cody chest deep in a suffocating amount of corn. While first responders, family and neighbors try to put aside their differences, the intensity keeps rising and Cody’s chances of survival decline.
Shedding light on an issue plaguing rural America, Silo shows how dangerous modern farming can be, while also highlighting the ways in which communities band together to look after one another. Burnette never loses focus on the story he wants to tell and digs deeper within his characters to expand the narrative. There’s more that meets the eye and much of the friction between these people comes from unprocessed trauma. His disaster drama doesn’t just excel in storytelling and a remarkably talented cast, but also Brooke Blair & Will Blair‘s score turns the intensity to unknown heights.
Heartfelt, all-consuming and undeniably relevant, Burnette does what many can’t – give a premise that easily could’ve lacked any real substance an emotional core and characters you’ll invest in, without succumbing to standard clichés.
Arriving in Theaters and Virtual Cinemas on May 7, 2021
Review – Silo
Reviewed online (screener provided by publicist), April 25, 2021. Rating: TBC. Running time: 76 min.
PRODUCTION: An Oscilloscope release of a Blood Orange Pictures production. Producers: Samuel Goldberg, Ilan Ulmer. Executive producers: Marshall Burnette, Perri Kaye.
CREW: Director: Marshall Burnette. Writers: Marshall Burnette, Jason Williamson. Cinematography: Hunter Robert Baker. Editing: Ryan Kendrick. Music: Brooke Blair, Will Blair.
CAST: Jeremy Holm, Jill Paice, Jack DiFalco, Jim Parrack, Chris Ellis, James DeForest Parker, Danny Ramirez, Daniel R. Hill, Rebecca Lines, Mike Seely.