There's enough horror movies out there
that are loud and in-your-face with cheap jump scares, but every once
in a while there's one that comes out that emphasizes its atmosphere
by making the audience focus on every little sound and movement. A
Quiet Place is one of those films.
A Quiet Place follows a family
of four as they survive in a world ravaged by mysterious blind
monsters that hunt by sound, killing anyone who makes all but the
faintest of noises. This is especially challenging when (1) the
mother of the family, Evelyn, is pregnant and (2) the daughter,
Regan, is deaf. So as you can imagine, there's not a whole lot of
spoken dialogue in this film, perhaps two solid minutes' worth. The
rest is all done in sign language. And yet the film still produces a
decent amount of drama thanks to its fine writing and capable acting.
In the moments when the film isn't leaving you on the edge of your
seat the plot portrays what it means to be a responsible parent in
difficult times.
While the characters are nothing we
haven't seen before, they are well portrayed. Interestingly, I don't
recall ever learning their names so I had to look them up.
Writer/director/star John Krasinski brings his everyman sensibility
to the role of Lee, the dad trying to keep his family safe. The other
character of note is Regan, the rebellious teenager who is actually
played by deaf actress Millicent Simmonds.
Krasinski's direction makes A Quiet
Place a film that's sleek, concise, and tense. During the
stalking scenes you might find yourself keeping as silent as the
characters onscreen.
However, there are a few plotholes that
may disrupt your experience. First and foremost, what are these
monsters and where are they from? One could argue that since this is
a film told from the perspective of one family that we're not
supposed to know all the details of such overarching things. But that
doesn't keep me from wondering who the elderly people in the woods
were. Or why there was a nail sticking out of the top of the stairs.
Or where the leaking water in the barn was coming from.
Regardless, A Quiet Place
manages to be an entertaining flick with a frighteningly original
premise. It reminds me of last year's high-concept thriller, Split,
though between the two of them I would recommend A Quiet Place
for its more thrilling setup and more heartfelt story. Enjoy the
silence.
Grade:
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