A Quiet Place

◊ ◊ ◊ ½

If you had asked me 10 years ago what my least favorite genre of film was, I would have told you musicals (it still is, in fact). But, if you had asked my second least favorite genre, I would have said horror. I grew up believing that I hated horror movies, all the while consuming any Hitchcock I could get my hands on (“Wait Until Dark” was my favorite film in my mid-teens). I didn’t equate those films with the slashers I had come to associate with horror. I have only very rarely enjoyed a slasher film (“Scream” being the clearest example), but I love a film that is creepy, tense, and anxiety producing. And over the last few years, as the industry has become more open to films outside the slasher sub-genre, I have discovered some amazing ones (e.g.  “The Babadook,” “It Follows,” “Get Out“). Consider this one as a noble addition to that list. Taking place in the very near future, the story follows a family trying to survive against some undefined evil that has spread throughout the world. The creatures are attracted to sound, so they have to be very very quiet. Here is a piece of advice: don’t see this film in a loud theater. A lot of the film happens in silence and you will hear every crinkle of cellophane, every slurp from a cup, every whispered comment. Setting that aside, the film drew me in from the first scene. That scene is beautifully crafted and plays with audience expectations brilliantly. By the time it ends, you know what’s at stake. It’s a fantastic way to build audience investment. The film also builds tension well. It has only a few jump-in-your-seat scenes, but it does has a continual sense of dread and anxiety that was rarely abated. What made the film most effective is that it was ultimately a family story. In that sense, it reminded me so much of the brilliant, “The Road.” The story is really about how you keep those you love alive in a world of perpetual violence. As such, this film could be a metaphor for so many things happening in so many parts of the world right now. John Krasinski, who is best known for his role in the American version of “The Office,” starred as the father, directed, executive produced, and co-wrote the film. His real-life wife, Emily Blunt, plays his wife in the film. This was clearly an important film to him and his passion shows in his performance. If you ever needed to be convinced that Krasinski can be more than a goofy comedic actor, see this film. Likewise, Blunt is terrific as a mother desperate to protect her kids. The daughter is played by Millicent Simmonds, who is hearing-impaired in real life. Her character’s inability to hear is played off of the creatures’ super-hearing is some very effective ways. Lastly, Noah Jupe plays the young son. His performance reminded me of Kodi Smit-McPhee’s in “The Road.” Both did a terrific job of looking anxious and scared all the time. In a film with essentially just a small cast, everyone needs to be on point and they were. This was a strong film: it had great characters, a solid plot device, a good story arc, and some genuinely creepy scenes. If you want a film that will keep you on edge and not bathe you in blood, this is the one for you.