Last year, comedian Jordan Peele, best known for his comedy skits with his partner Keegan-Michael Key, wrote and directed a refreshing and incredibly intense horror thriller film titled Get Out. In addition to being an intelligent and well-crafted film, what really surprised most audiences was how talented Jordan Peele was outside of comedy. Delivering a riveting and suspenseful thriller that went on to receive several Acadamy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and took home Best Original Screenplay. Now, actor & director John Krasinski, best known for his comedic work on the TV show The Office, has been given the opportunity to showcase his own potential talent as a dramatic director with his own suspense thriller A Quiet Place, and he's hit it out of the park.
The story takes place roughly a year after what is believed to be some kind of Alien invasion. Very little is known about the invading creatures except that they are very fast, incredibly durable, and blind as Bats. Even worse, they have excellent hearing. They can, quite literally, hear a pin drop from a mile away. Those who have survived have done so by adapting to be as quiet as humanly possible. One such family has endured with one advantage: their oldest daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds) is deaf. Thus they already communicate through sign language. Also, Lee (John Krasinski), Regan's father, has created many sound-proofing practices like walking on paths of sand to muffle their footsteps and eating without utensils on large lettuce leaves. Small sounds are harmless, but massive sounds are deadly. Which is not helped when you've got some unresolved family drama and a baby on the way. Remember, so long as you are quiet, you will survive.
What makes this movie so great to me is how it forces itself to rely on raw visual storytelling. By providing a narrative justification for little to no dialogue, the film gets to be a real movie. Everything about the world and the characters is conveyed through mindful visuals and tremendous acting. I myself have made a student film very similar to this premise and can tell you from first-hand experience that it is a challenging and fun task. Check out my own film Scratch.
Speaking of acting, this film has some of the best performances I've seen this year so far. Especially from the young Millicent Simmonds. Who at such a young age (I would guess at least ten) manages to convey a wide array of emotions, and does so with such conviction, that it's almost easy to forget you're even watching a movie in the first place. Her performance is made even more incredible when you remember that she is actually deaf. Giving her an advantage in communicating through body language and facial expressions. It kind of reminds me of the late great Lon Chaney from the silent era, who was raised by deaf parents and learned early on how to communicate through body language, which gave him an upper hand in film acting. This young lady is destined to go to high places, and I hope she has a bright future in movies or in whatever she wants to pursue.
While the monsters play a vital role in this film, they are not really the focus. Instead, the film is more of a heartfelt family drama that deals with loss, overcoming fear, and the unconditional love from parents. The movie is more interested in exploring the human condition in times of extreme hardship. It's also a fascinating look at human nature. The movie comments on how reliant we are on sound and verbal communication. How at times we just need to scream to help us cope with incredible stress or just talk to each other. When that is taken away, how do you learn to deal with it and adjust? Furthermore, would you be willing to do so?
As mentioned before, the film was directed by John Krasinski, who proves himself to be a talented and capable director. He started out in comedy but has performed a few dramatic roles before. He has an excellent sense of pace and a talent for building tension. His choice of camera language is also very nuanced, as it is continuously following the characters and rarely stands still. Adding to the overall notion that the characters are constantly aware of their surroudings and rarely get to take a moment to pause. I'm not sure I can call him a great director just yet, as this is only the second movie he has directed and the first I have seen with him in the director's chair. Having seen him act, and judging from his work in this film, I am confident that he will go on to deliver more quality stuff. I for one am looking forward to what will come next from him.
One thing I have to bring up is a little nit-pick that does not really bother me personally, but I suspect some audiences will take some issue with. I saw this movie with a few friends, and while we enjoyed it and agreed that it was overall excellent, one of my friends commented that he would have liked to know more about the monsters. Where they came from, why they invaded Earth and so on. While the movie does provide a little explanation for the monsters, it doesn't go any further than "they will kill you if they hear you." This doesn't really bother me personally since, as I said before, they are not really the focus. They are really meant to be the source of conflict and the justification for the films overall style. While I do understand and appreciate the desire for further explanations of aspects of stories that might otherwise not have any, in this case, I think the film is better served without it. As going into too much detail with the monsters would make them too interesting and thereby detract from the more important stuff.
A Quiet Place is an intense, thrilling, artfully crafted film that will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you stop your own sigh of relief. After all, silence is survival. It is a must-see for thriller fans. Just don't expect to get any sleep afterwards.
Is this movie worth seeing?
Yes.
Is it worth seeing in theaters?
Maybe.
Why?
Depending on your own personal level of tolerance for thrills and scares, you may benefit from watching this movie at home so you can pause it and take a breather once in a while. Fortunately, it is worthy of a Blu-Ray purchase when the time comes. Otherwise, go ahead and see this in theaters.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you for reading.
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