Pablo Trapero's beautifully crafted multilayered drama that's also his most enjoyable film in years.

Trapero's ambitious attempt to strike a unique tone somewhere between serious drama and humorous daytime TV falls awkwardly flat.

Even when it inspires laughter it doesn't inspire much else. It isn't involving enough for you to ever truly care about how these many, many problems will resolve themselves, and not funny enough for the experience to be more enjoyable.

The Quietude is an interesting story that makes the viewer uncomfortable because it opposes the traditional ideal of family. Likewise, the abusive coincidence of traditional melodrama is excessive, subtracting fluidity from the story.