• “Half visual essay, half verbal investigation, “Silence” is thoughtful and informative as well as contemplative and restorative. It both tells you why you perhaps yearn for silence and shows you what it would look like if you could find it.” -Kenneth Turan | Los Angeles Times

• “…beguiling, meditative and elegantly photographed documentary.” -Joe Morgenstern | Wall Street Journal

• “…this elegant sermon by Patrick Shen on why we should dial down the racket of our daily lives will make you consider turning off and tuning out.” -Jeannette Catsoulis | New York Times

• “As much a visual treat as an aural one, the film divides its time between using the tools of cinema to isolate and enhance the beauty of sounds and silence and exploring different schools of thought on the subject.” -Scott Tobias | NPR

• “In Pursuit of Silence is a wonderfully shot film and one which is best experienced on a big screen where its images’ composition and acute sound mixing can be fully appreciated.” -Argun Ulgen | Pop Matters

• “…one of the most truly meditative and deeply inventive films of the year.” -Kate Erbland | IndieWire

• “★★★★ — an elegant piece that will give you plenty to think about, if you ever get a quiet moment.” -The Guardian

• “★★★★ — fascinating” -The Times

• “★★★★ — very persuasive” -Peter Bradshaw | The Guardian

• “★★★★★ — Replete with imagery that shimmers with the kind of almost otherworldly wonder one might associate with a Terrence Malick movie… This film does more than just tell a story, it testifies to the sheer loveliness of anything — everything — when drenched in silence.”
  -Carl McColman | The Huffington Post

• “★★★★★ — Simply watching it is a self-fulfilling prophesy, its gentle soundtrack creating one of the most blissful viewing experiences of the year.” -City A.M.

• “★★★★★ — A meditative study, both intriguing and frightening – as quiet contemplation becomes more of a rarity – In Pursuit of Silence raises awareness in hauntingly beautiful fashion. Strongly recommended.” -Flickering Myth

• “★★★★ — …I came away with the revelation that silence is its own language.”
  -Vulture Hound
• “…a much-needed step towards a more sound-balanced world.” -The Telegraph

• “…a gorgeously rendered meditation on the role silence plays in our mental health.” -Greg Hamilton | MovieMaker Magazine

• “…this documentary is so replete with such well-composed cinematography and intriguing, occasionally worrisome ideas that it’s a worthwhile, even necessary, watch..” -Craig Takeuchi | The Georgia Straight

• “Shen details the myriad meanings and strange contradictions he found exploring the cultural, political and physical aspects of silence, and tries to explain what makes it such an appealing — yet uncomfortable — state to achieve and maintain.” -Tom Roston | TED

• “The documentary is engaging and thought-provoking throughout.”
  -New Scientist

• “★★★★ — Here is an important piece with gorgeous visuals and thought provoking conversations…” -Screen Relish

• “Produced, directed, and shot by Patrick Shen, ‘In Pursuit of Silence’ is a masterpiece of documentary filmmaking. The film explores the psychological, social, and health impacts of sound, noise, and silence. Lessons learned about the grace, virtue, and power of silence—as well as solitude—inform every aspect of the film.” -Cinesource

• “The film actually helps you take that first step as you experience firsthand the joy of silence through disengagement from chatter devices and noisy environments.” -Mike Ryan | Hammer to Nail

• “I am undone by this film… it lands in the mind, at least to this reviewer, with an impact reminiscent of seeing 1982’s Koyaanisqatsi for the first time… Shen’s In Pursuit of Silence incessantly inspires and sometimes takes the breath away and can even accomplish both at once.”
  -Wayne Alan Brenner | Austin Chronicle

• “★★★★ — …excellent and vital documentary exploring the philosophy, spirituality and practice of silence…” -Ali Catterall | Total Film

• …a testament to the power of quiet places.“
  -Cliff Bellamy | The Herald Sun

• “Shen’s film is able to convey beautifully – both through explanation and exemplification – that silence is not ‘without sound’ but is a removal of the dissonance, and its universal benefit is to allow for experience and awareness.”-Quench

• “It’s a film that takes us somewhere and shows us something and forces us to confront the world and ourselves.” -Unseen Films

• “The movie is a majestic achievement in which art and philosophy are blended in a perfect meditative mix. It’s an important film for our time.”
  -Chris Reed | Film Critic

• “No documentary stuck with me quite like In Pursuit of Silence…”
  -Kenny Miles | The Movie Blog | “SXSW: Attention, Distributors! Consider These 8 Great Movies.”