Believe it or not, John Krasinski (The Office) has a flair for horror. This is his third film as director and definingly not his lastā¦ hopefully not his last horror film, anyway. He said on The Tonight Show that he likes the genre now so Iām crossing my fingers heāll stick with it. Heās so good, in fact, that youāll have a difficult time escaping the world that he designed for you in āA Quiet Place.ā Well, youāll eventually be able to after the movie but not during. Youāre there. Trust me when I say that itāll take a while to shake what you witness. He did such a spectacular job of choosing the music, setting the tone and creating an atmosphere thatās so believable you walk away from watching the film as if you were personally involved in the lives of the characters on the screen. Masterfully, he introduces you to a family and their interrupted lives, in such a deeply contriving way that it leaves a profound impact on you as you sit in anticipation of what hideous thing will happen to these people next. After being shown the ramifications of making any sound, you hope for the best but fear the worst.
I was probably the biggest baby in the theatre. By the way, the movie is so quiet, you canāt help but notice the reactions of the other audience members as they gasp in fear and surprise. Krasinski didnāt make his film all about jump scares, (though there are a few really good ones), he instead ran straight toward your psyche and struck it hard by attacking what no one on earth can possibly avoid; making noise. What would it be like to live a life of silence? Could you? How would you? How would you communicate? What of your children? Could you keep a young child quiet? Could you keep an infant from crying? He puts you in the middle of situations where silence is golden and any hit of speech or the smallest of thuds can lead to certain death. Itās hard to imagine and how this story comes together, how well it was conceived and orchestrated, is even harder to explain except to say that the actors, especially Emily Blunt, are unbelievably good at bringing this terrible existence to life and you never once question their authenticity.
The family, Lee (Krasinski), Evelyn (Blunt) and their children Regan (Simmonds) and Marcus (Jupe) are alone on their farm but have made the best of it. They hunt, grow and can their food, know enough about medicine to survive and are smart enough to work around all the sound issues they face. We learn a lot about the creatures, where they come from and what they are, by reading clippings that Lee has posted. Leeās not only reading all he can about the creatures, trying to find a way to defeat them, but he also studies how he can help his deaf daughter, Regan, a bratty pre-teen, hear again. I must point out that Simmonds is deaf in real life and what she does for the film is lend it some legitimacy. The family communicates with sign language and Krasinski not only needed young Simmonds for her fantastic acting and the character in her face but for her ability to make āA Quiet Placeā look more convincing. This will be appreciated by all, especially those in the deaf community. If you want to see an edge of your seat thriller this weekend, donāt miss this film. This is a must-see and unless you canāt keep quiet, experiencing it in the theatre is the best way to go.
