The Silences is a 2015 documentary by Margot Nash that describes and analyses Nash’s family, specifically her mother. At the start of watching this documentary I was very hesitant to keep watching as it seemed slow and uneventful. Having finished it I don’t think I could watch it again, but it definitely made me consider my own family relationships. This film largely connected to the reflexive mode of documentary. Nash narrates the documentary and had a voice of authority as she attempts to convince the viewer of her own opinions of her mother. It is evident that Nash has respect for her father despite his mental health issues whilst she clearly has a strained relationship with her mother who is depicted as harsh and unloving. Given that this is a story about Nash’s family history there is a huge use of footage from interviews and archive material. However the documentary also dabbles in reflexive mode conventions as there are many techniques borrowed from fiction film with there being multiple recreations of her childhood shown in the documentary. This documentary also raises the question of ethics in that Nash is portraying her mother and father from only her perspective and as they are both deceased, they have no right of reply. This therefore made me question whether or not the documentary was offering an authentic portrayal of Nash’s family, especially considering she is relying so heavily on memory.