A Quiet Place

I had concerns walking in to the movie, “A Quiet Place”. Not only was I running late to the showing, but of course I had to sit behind an obnoxiously loud group of teens, which wasn’t ideal during a mostly silent movie.

In the past, I haven’t been good with the idea of watching horror films. They tend to use jumpscares as a crutch and have no plot. As a particularly “jumpy” person, who is solely driven by plot, I am not very compatible with the majority of films in horror or thriller genres. Still, I had faith in John Krasinski (the director) and the very promising trailers.

“A Quiet Place” is a film that centers around a family that lives in a world where silence is the only way to survive. Small noises are allowed, however, big noises are followed by vicious attacks by large alien-like monsters. The monsters are mostly mysterious figures throughout the movie. All that is known in the beginning is that they are blind and respond/attack when there is noise.

Rather than focusing more on the idea of superhero figures overcoming monsters, the film focuses on the day-to-day lives of relatable characters attempting to live around their seemingly inescapable circumstances. As seen in the trailers, the family uses sign language to communicate and they mark places on their hardwood floor that wouldn’t creak when they walked.

The Mother, played by Emily Blunt attempts to create a more “normal” atmosphere for the children (played by Millicent Simmons, Noah Jupe, and Cade Woodward). There are photos of the family framed around the house, board games with homemade felt pieces, and decorations that would make the place more welcoming and personal.

The Father, played by John Krasinski, focused mainly on protection, especially after a tragedy hit the family that sent them through a cycle of guilt and regret. The Father and his Daughter, Millicent Simmons, have a complicated relationship due to the difficult circumstances and the fact that he protects her more than she would like. The Daughter is deaf, meaning that it would be difficult for her to hear sounds that signal danger and know when she is creating sounds that would end in danger.

One of my favorite things about the movie is that the character cast as a person who is deaf is played by an actress who is deaf in real life. John Krasinski felt it important that he had a person who truly represented the deaf community and could give input and perspective that would add to the film.

The focus, as director and actor, John Krasinski, mentions is more on family and how far parents will go for their children. The film is directed very well; every scene is filled with layers of details that I didn’t notice until I saw rundowns with Krasinski. One directing decision that I enjoyed is that when the film seems to go to the perspective of the Daughter, the sound completely stops. There is no music or whispering. It truly puts her experience into perspective.

Overall, I would definitely recommend the film to a friend and even to someone I don’t know. The themes and well-written suspense as well as the impact the casting will have on the deaf community is something I feel everyone needs to experience.