Alternatives to develop relationships without dialogue
I have to come up with an idea (this is an assignment) for a story between 1 or 2 characters without dialogue and with a length of 90 seconds, so I know it's totally possible, however, when it comes to develop drama in a friendship relationship between those characters it becames very hard to do it without dialogue, how do you depict relationship development without any spoken dialogue?
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Basically you have to use obvious body language. If you have only 90 seconds, I wouldn't try for much drama, and friendship might be more difficult than something stronger, like love or dislike or irritation.
But there are many gestures and actions that indicate intimate relationships, without speech. Handshakes, hugs, kisses on cheeks, heads, lips, holding hands, walking close together, gentle touches in passing. Eye gazing, for lovers. Leaning in.
Ever notice how, in a restaurant, once in a while you see two adults sit on the same side of a booth instead of opposite sides, facing each other? Those are, almost undoubtedly, newly intimate partners in love. The arrangement is more awkward, both for talking and eating, but touch is paramount at the start of a new intimate romantic relationship. They are sitting that way to maximize bodily contact and minimize the difficulty of touching and kissing and having hands on each other, even if the touching is not explicitly sexual. It is touch reassurance.
Of course, a parent and child may do the same, not for romantic interest but still for quick access and touch reassurance.
Of course, body language can reflect repulsion as well. People that dislike each other don't want to be there. Or it can reflect defensiveness; people fold their arms, pull back, lower their heads, in general if they are not open, they are prepared for attack and instinctively move to protect themselves, even if they are in zero danger of physical attack. For some, dislike results in more aggressive stances.
Body language is an important aspect of writing; I'd guess that is what this "no dialogue" assignment is about; learning to show instead of tell. You might want to rethink your choice of relationship; body language tends to be associated with stronger emotions than just being with a friend. There may still be proximity and openness, perhaps non-romantic touching, but these are more subtle indicators, that readers may not pick up on.
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What Amadeus says about body language is true, but it can be hard to convey in prose. It is the kind of thing you can rely on actors to do well in film, if that is the medium (as the 90 second time limit suggests), though that really doesn't leave you much to write.
In prose (and in film as well, if you don't want to leave it entirely in the hands of the actors), try larger gestures. The marriage proposal, for instance, is a formalized set of gestures (down on one knee, the presentation of the ring, the hands clasped in surprise, followed by the finger extended to receive the ring, the rise, the kiss) that is highly recognizable without the words.
There are many other ceremonies of affection as well, such as the sharing of an umbrella, the presentation of a flower, shopping together (especially for furniture, or a puppy).
Friendship has its ceremonies of affection as well, thought they are different from those of romance. Going to a game together. Sharing a drink. Helping fix a tire. Looking after each other's kids. Providing a shoulder to cry on. String a few of these ceremonies of affections together and you can tell a whole story by implication.
Note that these ceremonies of affection actually speak more powerfully than words. It is harder to lie with actions than with words. If you want to know if someone loves you, which is the stronger indication? That they say they love you, or if they act as if they love you? Similarly in a drama, the ceremonies of affection speak louder than words.
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