With a simple
premise, A Quiet Place is a horror
film that plays on fear of the unknown in a novel way. Directed by actor and
co-screenwriter John Krasinski, the film is a tightly wound tale of a family’s
fight for survival in an apocalyptic setting.
It delivers the goods.
A global catastrophe
decimates humanity, and no one dares to make a sound because that is how mysterious
creatures find and kill you.
What happened is a mystery with scant clues amid empty streets, newspaper
clippings and notes on a white board. The Abbotts know the dangers first hand and
rely on a survival lifestyle including the use of sign language as their new
normal while living at a remote cabin. The
parents (Krasinski and real life spouse Emily Blunt) are resourceful and care
for their hearing impaired daughter and younger son. When an accident occurs, it’s the start of a
threat that builds to a breathtaking last stand.
This
is pure cinema with basic situations including excruciating set pieces (like a
pregnant mom) where the slightest sound can mean death. The novelty of the absence of sound works to
the film’s advantage and becomes another character, and the audience becomes so
conditioned, that the introduction of sounds can become downright jarring. The unseen and unheard are devices that
double the potential terror.
The film never
forgets to show the Abbotts as a loving family even as it places them in precarious,
heart stopping situations. It becomes a funhouse
of horror where the
filmmakers wisely keep the creature’s appearance hidden early on.
A
lean 90 minutes, it’s just a well-executed,
straightforward narrative that delivers its fair share of jolts. Krasinski shows he is the real deal as a director when given a strong script even
one bereft of dialogue; expect great things from him in the future. For this film, ‘silence is golden’.
**** of
**** stars
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