Silent Waves

Rage lingers as a constant reminder of the trauma of Raquel’s childhood. She recognises that she is perpetuating a cycle of abuse, but before she can break it, she must face her dark side.

Raquel is reacquainted with Glenn, her father’s foster son from a previous marriage. He sheds light on the cycles at play in Ralph’s life. Raquel is plagued by the extremes of her father’s duality and battles to reconcile with who she thought he was, and who he turned out to be.

Gabriel, the eldest child, wakes from a dream and calls each member of his family. He knew Ralph’s biggest secret. Four years go by and Raquel and Gabriel speak about it again for the first time. In a quest to find out more, Raquel begins excavating her father’s past.

Unable to keep her secret any longer, Raquel breaks her silence. She is ready to fight her cousin for what he did to her. A battle ensues.

Ralph’s erratic behaviour is of concern to his family. He seems to be on a downward spiral and they can’t keep up with his lies. Then, one day when he fails to return home from a meeting, Elizabeth reports him missing.

The O’Brien’s receive a visitor. Elizabeth’s nephew has come from Brazil to live in the family home. Raquel is in her first year of high school. Her cousin is 25. A special bond forms between them. Raquel’s younger brother Matt bears witness.

Raquel O’Brien is tormented by secrets. She begins her journey of exposing her family’s shared past by first uncovering the forces that brought her parents, Elizabeth and Ralph, together. When Elizabeth discovers her family are fugitives, Ralph’s character is put into question.

Silent Waves tells one true story led by 25 year old Raquel O’Brien, as she attempts to liberate herself from the trauma of childhood sexual abuse and a father with a dark secret. To do so, she has raw, honest and open conversations with her family about the cataclysmic circumstances of their story for the first time... and all on tape.