“A Quiet Place” is the feature film directorial debut of John Krasinski, who is often lovingly referred to as “Jim from ‘The Office’”. The film, which also stars Krasinski alongside his real-life wife, Emily Blunt, shows a family as they navigate life in an apocalyptic future in which the world is overtaken by monsters that hunt via sound. While the premise may seem simple, the movie itself is anything but; it manages to be wildly engaging and thrilling despite (or maybe because of) it being almost completely silent.
The use of sound in “A Quiet Place” is brilliantly measured to keep audiences’ eyes glued to the screen even when they desperately want to look away. By having little sound in the movie, every little noise is louder and more intense, causing you to jump at the most innocuous things, like the sudden rush of a flowing river (which is something I actually jumped at). The silence of the movie allows audiences to feel fully immersed, feeling as if they too are being hunted by monsters and the slightest noise will attract them; I don’t know that I’ve ever been in a quieter theater.
The acting in “A Quiet Place” is also incredibly moving and powerful, particularly that of Krasinski, Blunt and Millicent Simmonds, who plays the deaf daughter of the lead couple. As the rugged patriarch of the family, Krasinski stuns with his tough yet caring presence as he becomes more and more emotionally open as the movie progresses. Blunt, as the pregnant mother, helps ground the family with her strength and caring nature. Krasinski and Blunt also work together amazingly, making audiences become absorbed in the couple’s trials and tribulations. Simmonds, who, like her character, is deaf, gives a strong and well-rounded performance as the young daughter trying to learn how to live in this world. Her emotional moments are some of her strongest, as viewers are able to see everything that runs through her mind run across her face.
“A Quiet Place” may technically be a horror film, the family aspect of the movie may be the strongest part. The horror moments are terrifying, but when audiences get to see how the family interacts with one another from the love between the parents to the divide between the father and his daughter, they are able to really connect with the movie. The horror elements are really just a backdrop to show how this family will protect one another at all costs and what they need to do to survive in this changed world. The moving story of this small family is part of what makes the movie so interesting and compelling to audiences.
“A Quiet Place” is a greatly entertaining and powerful movie that is unlike a lot of horror films you will see nowadays. For anyone who isn’t afraid of being scared, it is a great movie to go out to see, especially in theaters, which add to the eerie atmosphere of the movie itself. Also, as the directorial debut for Krasinski, it is a great indicator of a long and incredible career to come.