Distant Voices/Still Lives was a very different film from what I have ever seen. At first it did not make any sense, but than I started to realize the way this film was meant to play out. The way that the movie was constantly fading into random memories pertaining to the moments in the movie was skillful. The use of flashbacks was great. The movie was generally based on the cold-hearted Father. Every moment of his presence in this film was dark and lifeless. I could feel right away that the Father was a cruel man. Emotions were all over the place in DV/SL. One moment I could see how happiness was expressed, and the next I would see anger and sadness.

I knew this film was not one that was chronologically in order, it wasn't supposed to be that way. It was meant to jump around to moments that pertained to that specific scene. This film was a definite attention grabber and kept me guessing and intrigued. DV/SL was filled with alot of unfortunate events and cruelness. The scene where the daughter is scrubbing the floor after doing a laundry-list of endless chores, just to be able to go to the dance was unforgetable. I could not believe or understand why her Father would beat her like a dog with a broomstick just because she had asked him if she could go to the dance. He threw change at her as if she was a poor good for nothing human being. Once the Father had died, it was as if the weight of the world was lifted off of the shoulders of the family. Suddenly the fades to memories turned from black to white, reflecting on the change is mood. Over all, the film was great a guessing game and had kept me hooked until the end.