The Quiet One

Six-year-old Maryam escaped from Iran with her mother. \i The Quiet One \i0 follows her during her first months at a special school on the outskirts of Stockholm, where foreign children are prepared for normal public school. Because Maryam was the last to join the class, she has the least knowledge of the Swedish language and culture. This can lead to painful moments, for instance when the children tell each other what they did over Christmas vacation. While Maryam may not completely get what is being said, she understands that the other kids got Christmas presents and she didn't. An added frustration is that the language barrier keeps her from explaining that she is sad. In the meantime, she has to fight for her place among her occasionally conniving classmates. Exclusion and bullying are rampant, and Maryam is not spared - not even when the camera is rolling. The world outside the school is completely absent from the film, and what Maryam has experienced or why she came to Sweden with only her mother remain unclear. What we de see is a brave girl taking her first steps in a new life in a new country.