Quiet Place, A
Entry updated 13 November 2024. Tagged: Film.
US film (2018). Platinum Dunes, Sunday Night Productions, Paramount Pictures. Directed by John Krasinski. Written by John Krasinski, Bryan Woods and Scott Beck. Cast includes Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe, John Krasinski and Millicent Simmonds. 90 minutes. Colour.
Earth has been invaded (see Invasion) by ruthless predatory Aliens, which are blind but use exceptional hearing (see Perception) to track down their prey, and are extremely fast. Surviving humans have to move in silence to avoid being hunted. Evelyn (Blunt) and Lee Abbott (Krasinski), their deaf daughter Regan (Simmonds) and son Marcus (Jupe) live in isolation on a farm in New York State. In a memorable prologue, their other son is killed by an alien when he begins playing with a loud toy which Regan let him have, unknown to the parents. Months later, Lee is obsessed with finding out the aliens' weaknesses, staying in the basement to the neglect of his family, and Evelyn is heavily pregnant. When an alien attacks the farm, Regan accidentally discovers that the feedback from her hearing aid causes it great pain. Lee sacrifices himself to save his children, and Regan magnifies the sound of her hearing implant to disable the alien, giving time for Evelyn to shoot it. The sound attracts other aliens; the film ends with the family preparing to defend themselves, now knowing the aliens' vulnerabilities.
Though it stretches credulity at times, particularly Evelyn's ability to stay silent when giving birth and stepping on a nail, this is one of the best Horror-sf films of recent years. Many attempts have been made to draw out Political subtexts, including pro-life and pro-gun themes, and as a commentary on contemporary US politics; Krasinski himself saw it as a metaphor for parenthood, and its depiction of family loyalties and struggles is more human than most of the genre, though not without some Hollywood sentimentality. Its real strength is as a straightforward but very effective chiller. The minimal dialogue ensures suspense is maintained through purely visual means, complemented by an inventive sound design – the only sounds the aliens make are a serious of clicks, and laudable attempts are made to convey the experience of deafness. The aliens are cleverly kept to brief glimpses for much of the film, and are suitably hideous when revealed.
A Quiet Place made $341 million on a $17 million budget, so unsurprisingly became a franchise. The sequel, A Quiet Place Part II (2020), also directed by Krasinski, follows the family's attempts to leave their home for a safer place. Though a worthy follow-up, the more action-oriented tone lacks the intensity of the original. A Quiet Place: Day One (2024), written and directed by Michael Sarnoski, is set during the early stages of the invasion, with a completely different cast. Further instalments are expected. [CWa]
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