Austin Film Festival Conversations: The Director & Cast of ‘Silent Notes’

Daniel Durant as Bruce in Toni Comas’ SILENT NOTES. (Photo Courtesy of the Austin Film Festival.)

Silent Notes just so happened to be one of the most refreshing films to grace the 2024 Austin Film Festival. Courtesy of its unique plot and its ability to offer audiences incredible representation. It’s a film that we raved over for certain, and we also had the opportunity to sit down with several members from the film to further explore the wonder of this movie. So, without further ado, here is what Director Toni Comas and stars Matt Riker (Ethan) and Daniel Durant (Bruce) had to say about their work in putting this important film together.

Toni Comas and Matt Riker

John Betancourt: What inspired you to take part in this project?
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Matt Riker: The honest truth is, an actor of my limited stature doesn't get many opportunities. I'd be lying if I didn't plainly state how grateful I was to be given the audition that opened the path towards even discussing the project. From that vantage point, it was very easy to see how delicious the role of "Ethan" was for me as an actor. I love exploration of characters, and there was so much to chew on in this script. The subject matter of love, exploring silence, and friendship just added layers to my own inspiration. Working alongside Daniel was just the cherry on top!

Toni Comas: Two of my favorite movies are The Conversation by Coppola and Lost Highway by David Lynch. I realized that the most defining element in both films is the sound design. So, I wanted to make a movie where the main character is deaf, which allowed me to play with the point of view and sound design to help narrate the story. 

John Betancourt: What do you hope audiences take away from this film from a messaging standpoint?

Matt Riker: I don't think it has to be anything deeper than I hope people were fulfilled in even the tiniest way. First and foremost, were you entertained? We're not curing cancer, but you are hoping people can escape and find their own silence within themselves.  Did this film feel authentic and honest to you? Not every film can break the mold, but we can try our best to connect with honest and unique depictions of love, friendship, hardships; all the intricacies that make life so damn challenging. So, did we do that for you, in even the tiniest way? Could you relate to Ethan? To Bruce? I hope I did my part and allowed you to have that moment. 

Toni Comas: One of the characters in the movie, the Policeman Gene learns from the main character Bruce that, in the end, it is impossible to live without love and connection to others. I hope the audience takes away the same message.

John Betancourt: What was the most fulfilling aspect of working on this project?

Matt Riker: I got to sink my teeth into a fully formed character (on paper).  At my level, meaty roles (and jobs) don't come around often, so when one is lucky enough to sink his/her teeth into one, it's a gift! I'm never fully confident I got the job done or that I even approve of my contribution; however, in this I was a part of something so unique in structure, intelligent in writing, and FUN that I find the whole project itself to have been fulfilling! 

Toni Comas: The most fulfilling aspect is having been able to finish the film the way we envisioned. Many times, during the process, I felt like I would never be able to complete the film. Looking back now, I realize that all the struggles made sense, that we had to go through those phases for it to reach its true form. My producer Andres Torres always told me, “Make sure that you like the final version of the film, no matter how long it takes.”

John Betancourt: What does it mean to you to be part of such an important feature?

Matt Riker: A film is only as important as the people that surround it. It's much more important to me, to have been trusted in adding my vision to the already topical story. The film was always going to be important for audiences with or without me, so the fact that I got to play but a small percentage of the overall value of this feature is a forever gift.

Toni Comas: This film means everything to me - it is the most important thing in my professional life. Making this movie was such a learning process both in writing and directing, and I hope to take some of that into my next creative project.

John Betancourt: What are you most proud of when it comes to your work here?

Matt Riker: My proudest moments are that I took chances throughout production, and within a limited construct of time. I leapt onto a moving ship mid filming and came prepared to contribute. So many of my greatest moments came from improvisation, which can be terrifying and yet fully exhilarating.  I'm proud of the communal talent from everybody, from the top (Toni Comas), sideways to the Producers, and "down" to every Production Assistant. We all made a film that we can, in fact, be proud of. I sincerely hope that I, too, made the rest of the cast / crew proud.

Toni Comas: Resilience. It took five years, three reshoots, and a lot of coffee to finish the film. I'm also really proud of the camaraderie and environment that we found making this movie - I'm still friends with the cast and crew and we are all in touch to this day.

Daniel Durant

John Betancourt:  What attracted you to this story as an actor?
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Daniel Durant: When I read the script, I really enjoyed the fact that this deaf character becomes part of the mafia. Most often, stories have the benevolent sweet deaf guy character, but this shows a person surviving and doing what they have to do and getting into the thick of it, even being in a gang, and developing this tough exterior. I really liked that about this character.

John Betancourt: What did you enjoy most about the role?

Daniel Durant: My biggest joy came from working with Toni. We communicated directly despite my having an interpreter on set. Toni would come up to me with a photo of a facial expression or a body movement that he wanted me to embody, and was so clear about what he was asking for emotionally and what the scene required that it gave me an “in” for how to play it. And if there was something he wanted more of, he would race right in and give it to me face to face. I also enjoyed watching Matthew become “Ethan,” because the two are very different.

John Betancourt: How did you craft a character with such depth?

Daniel Durant: After studying the script, I spoke a lot with Toni Comas before we began filming so I knew what was expected of the character and what kind of journey he was on. Toni shared with me how he believed everything about Bruce would be learned through his eyes. That was Toni’s goal for this character in this film, that I would be open and show my sensibilities through my eyes. He wanted the audience to feel the perseverance through his eyes as the journey progresses and so I worked to deliver that for him.

John Betancourt: What do you hope audiences take away from this film in terms of messaging?

Daniel Durant: Our humanity seems to be an underlying theme. We all have hopes, we all have goals, and my character Bruce aspired when he suddenly becomes deaf. So, what does he do? Life goes on and he goes down a path to the unknown where he falls in love with a guy and starts a relationship. He is so open emotionally to his journey that I hope the audience takes note of the humanity of it all. 

John Betancourt: What does it mean to you to be part of such an important feature?

Daniel Durant: Honestly, when we started shooting, I put all of my trust in Toni. I could see that he had a clear vision for telling this story by the writing, and the actors he chose, and the crew he hired. I knew this would be good and had an innate feeling it would be special. 

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.