Writer/director Lorena Villarreal's "Silencio," is a story built around the Zone of Silence in Mexico, a place where reportedly strange things happen constantly. A team of scientists investigating a missile crash discover an unusual stone that gives the holder the power to travel through time to save a life. It is a power so great that a mother (Melina Matthews) and her small son are put in danger by those who want the stone.

While the film has all the trappings of a sci-fi tale, the best way to approach it is as a family drama.

It starts with John Noble who plays James, the scientist/grandfather who uses the stone to save his granddaughter. He's also the first to discover that for every life that's saved using the stone, another is lost. It's at that point, he hides the stone in a place where even he can't find it. This doesn't stop James from being threatened by someone who wants the stone. The stakes get higher when a family member is kidnapped.

Noble continues to show the ability to ground even the most outlandish plot ideas as he did so well in the television series "Fringe." He's not the kind of actor who feels compelled to give the audience a wink and a nod to show he doesn't believe the fantasy elements he's playing, but instead gives the production a gravitas it needs. He's playing the truth of what it means to be a caring grandfather and the rest is just set dressings.

But Noble's work is short-circuited by the script. The same can be said of Melina Matthews ("Fugitiva"), who handles the role of mother and granddaughter with equal ease. She's strong when needed, yet shows great vulnerability with just as much skill.

Distracting from their work is that pesky sci-fi element that keeps popping up. It doesn't help that the movie states at the beginning that it is based on a true story. About the only thing that is historically correct is that an American test rocket did go off course and crash in the Zone of Silence. After that, the fictional elements kick in for good.

Despite Villarreal's mistakes in plotting, there are enough individual strong family elements, particularly the work of Noble and Matthews, to make "Silencio" entertaining.