The Book of Boba Fett's best scenes are silent

Salon.com

The non-spoken moments with the Tusken Raiders on the Star Wars series could teach the Disney+ show a thing or two about acting, says Alison Stine. "Language doesn't have to be spoken," says Stine. "Many languages aren't, including American Sign Language, and The Book of Boba Fett scenes that feature little to no spoken English don't suffer. They're richer because of it. Perhaps we as viewers pay closer attention because we know information will not be telegraphed orally. We need to watch. And we do as the Tuskens teach Boba Fett how to find liquid in black melons they dig out of the sand. Their offering a melon to him to drink is a meaningful gesture of trust, as is painstakingly teaching him the way they fight, and teaching him to make his own staff, which will serve him well later. In return, he instructs them on the riding of speeders. Relative silence can be riveting, and these long, quiet scenes hint at the potential for other kinds of expression. We don't need a character to speak orally to understand them, and we also don't need to see their faces to care for them. Witness how compelling Mando was for episode after episode when he kept his helmet firmly on."

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