When you think of Keira Knightley and the holidays, chances are that the hit Christmas film Love Actually springs to mind. But, what all you festive rom-com fans may not know is that the actor has also starred in one of the darkest and most depressing holiday films made in the 21st century.
That’s right, it’s time to put away all those love confessions on oversized cue cards because we’re talking about the 2021 Keira Knightley film Silent Night. Written and directed by Camille Griffin, the Christmas movie was less about festive love stories like Love Actually, and more of an existential anxiety inducer about the end of the world.
The film follows a group of friends who reunite one Christmas Eve and agree to go out with a bang together after the Government announces that a gigantic poisonous gas cloud is on course to end humanity. Nothing brings people together during the holidays like impending doom, am I right?
While talks about the dangers of global warming and the chaos of our planet happen, we generally only hear about it after argumentative relatives have a couple of egg nogs. So, it’s understandable why Silent Night is unfairly overlooked and only has a 47% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It isn’t a feel-good movie for the holidays; it’s more of a psychological Christmas horror movie that reminds us of the ongoing global warming crisis.
However, Knightley is fully aware that Silent Night wasn’t going to please traditional Christmas movie fans when she signed onto the flick. In an interview with Yahoo, the star explained that the story is bleak on purpose since it’s also a warning for humanity.
“When we were talking about doing it, it was absolutely because of ecological disaster and, you know, the potential destruction of the planet and the human race not existing anymore — you know, all that stuff,” she explained. “I personally find it absolutely terrifying, so yeah, it was a hundred percent a cautionary tale.”
Personally, we believe Silent Night deserves more love. Sure, it isn’t a comfort movie like Love Actually, but it shows Knightley’s range as an actor. The drama movie also stands out in a sea of sickly-sweet holiday films. Sometimes, a bleak palate cleanser is just what you need come the end of the year.
You can rent or buy Silent Night digitally through Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV+ now. If you want to see all the best Amazon Prime Christmas movies, be sure to click our link here to start your Prime membership.
We also have lists of the best movies of all time and all the new movies heading our way if you are after more big-screen recommendations.