Silent Night (German: Stille Nacht) is a 1995 German-Swiss drama film directed by Dani Levy. Set over Christmas Eve, it follows an art student caught between her partner and her lover. The film was screened in competition at the 46th Berlin International Film Festival, where it received an Honourable Mention, and later screened at festivals including Montreal, Geneva, Vancouver, Solothurn, and Göteborg.
On Christmas Eve, Julia, an art student, lives with her partner Christian, a police detective, while also having an affair with Frank, a young bartender. As Julia decides to end the affair and Frank plans to declare his love, ChristianâÂÂs actions lead to a night of emotional conflict.
The cast includes:
Filming took place from 27 January to 10 March 1995 in Paris, Berlin, and Potsdam.
The film won awards for Best Music and Best Cinematography at the 1997 Bayerischer Filmpreis. It also received an Honourable Mention (Alfred Bauer Prize) at the 1996 Berlin International Film Festival.
Filmdienst wrote that the filmâÂÂs visual style gave it a notable sense of coherence, although the plot was not developed with similar depth. Der Spiegel described it as a Christmas Eve love-triangle drama and wrote that when such self-examination turned dramatic, audiences stayed away.
The film premiered in February 1996. Later festival screenings included the 1996 Montreal World Film Festival, the 1996 Geneva International Film Festival, the 1996 Vancouver International Film Festival, the 1997 Solothurn Film Festival, and the 1997 Göteborg Film Festival.