The feelings of 17-year-old Jackie for her brother Matthew, who is one year older than her, go beyond what is generally thought of as sibling love. In the voiceover of The Unspeakable Act, she herself talks about her incestuous desire almost in passing and rather calmly, giving this coming-of-age story of a somewhat different kind the intimate feel of a diary entry. Jackie's sober reflection on things de-melodramatizes the potentially scandalous events; Matthew is no less analytical and reserved in his approach to the tabooed attraction. As befits teenage New York intellectuals, the two try to solve their dilemma by talking about it.
Born in Pennsylvania in 1955, Dan Sallitt - responsible for the direction, screenplay and editing of The Unspeakable Act - has made four films in 26 years to date. His comparatively small body of work is considered by the Village Voice to be one of the best-kept secrets of US independent cinema. “Indiewire” calls Sallitt ‘America's answer to Eric Rohmer’ and is right on the money. Not only because The Unspeakable Act is dedicated to the great Frenchman, but above all because Sallitt, like Rohmer, has mastered the great art of combining emotion, thought, word and gesture. He too can think with his heart.
