A Quiet Place (dir. John Krasinski, 2018) – A small family is forced to live in silence and in hiding from sound-sensitive monsters with no seeming weaknesses.
Verdict
Beautifully written, A Quiet Place exceeds scares in its presentation of humanity as hope in face of monsters.
Review
The absence of sound assuredly builds anticipation towards sudden terror, and has conceptually works wonders for the horror genre over recent years. In the vein of Hush and Don’t Breathe, A Quiet Place relies on artful sound design for the conjuring of effective tension, without overly relying on cheap jump scares.
The brilliant opening sees the Abbott family gathering supplies in silence, their young children in tow. Trepidation turns hearts into sledgehammers, with each crease of plastic and knock-over of cans posing a fatal threat. Simply by implications, the audience is made cognizant of how every little move could make the softest of noise.
Their knowledge of sign language – because of their deaf daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds) – is what keeps them alive in the silent world. But things were not going to be easy. Lee (John Krasinski) struggles to seek answers to the monsters’ weakness, with his pregnant wife Evelyn (Emily Blunt) days away from labour; a quiet birth of a newborn is going to be near impossible.
Problems compound, with the family still trying to move past their grief over a traumatic accident. The young Regan suffers survivor’s guilt, which has put as much blame on herself as it has a strain on her relationship with her parents. Millicent Simmonds delivers this crux of the story in understated heartfelt terms, one that ultimately delineates her father’s unconditional albeit unspoken love for her.
Profundity in the horror genre is not as rare as one may think, but it is much appreciated in a mainstream effort like this. In his moving directorial debut, John Krasinski proves himself more than Jim Halpert in his outstanding turn as director, writer, and actor. He also shares evident chemistry with real-life wife Emily Blunt, and their credible instinct to defend their children impels one to root for them when all seems forlorn.
As much as the film will be revered for its effectual monstrous horror, A Quiet Place knows itself to be much more than that. Delving into the meaning of humanity, the affecting story finds heart in defining a family’s steadfast protection of one another at all costs, because of their love for each other – even if left unsaid.
I always love horror films that are just a little bit different and try to do something that takes it away from the usual stuff that happens in films such as these. This one definitely succeeded in that. A wonderful film, with great acting and a tight script make this one of the best horrorfilms that I have seen in a while.
Thoroughly enjoyed it: just like I did your review 😊😊
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Right on, it’s truly well written and acted! ☺️ One of my favourite films of the year, alongside Hereditary which does the same for the horror genre. Thank you for the kind words, and for reading too!
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I so want to see this. It looks so dang good. Great review and I will definitely give it a watch.
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Thanks for dropping by. 🙂 It is pretty darn good, definitely worth a watch!
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Nice review! I think you are very right in saying that this film is more than a horror and that it definitely tries to grapple with bigger issues such as the nature of humanity.
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Thank you! ☺️ Horror has always been a great genre with such strong potential for depth, which this film exploited well.
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Great review! Movies like this are actually enabling me to get into the horror genre. I hate jump scares that are put in for no reason, but a movie like this that can keep you tense and on edge without cheap tactics is brilliant, in my eyes.
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Thanks for reading! Couldn’t agree more. I do love how recent horror flicks, like Cargo and The Ritual, have been steering away from cheap jump scares. 😀
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I’m such a big fan of this movie and it hasn’t left me since first seeing it in theaters. Anxious to see it again.
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I’d love to rewatch it again too. The cinema wasn’t the best place for the silence that this film needs. 😂
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Thanks for the review. I’ve heard so many good things about this movie. Since I know sign language, I’ve always liked when it’s used occasionally in a movie. This one is a must see for me.
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The use of ASL is absolutely commendable, and the casting of deaf actress Millicent Simmonds is perfect. It’s choices like these that added depth to what could’ve been just another monster film. I’d love to hear your thoughts when you do get to see it. Thanks for dropping by! 🙂
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Just watched this last weekend. Really have mixed feelings about it. So many scenes were executed well with a lot of tension, but other things didn’t make sense to me.
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spoilers The childbirth sequence was hard to believe for me. But it’s not often that I’m kept on the edge of my seat by a horror film, I’ll let it slip! 😂
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Yeah, who has a kid in that nightmare!
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