With last year’s “Get Out,” Jordan Peele proved that he, a former comedian, could direct a successful and powerful horror film with deeper themes running beneath it. Now, John Krasinski, best known for his role as Jim Halpert from “The Office,” is trying his hand at moving from acting comedic to directing horror as well. With a unique concept, a talented cast and a powerful buzz surrounding the film, is this “Quiet Place” worth visiting?
First off, regardless of previous feelings on horror films, this is a movie that must be experienced in a theatre setting. For those unfamiliar, the film’s basic concept is there are creatures who hunt based on sound. So, for the small family trying to get by, sound must be used as quietly as possible.
This unique concept is taken to its fullest potential thanks to Krasinski and his co-writers Bryan Woods and Scott Beck. For such a simple idea, the amount of times that they manage to come up with creative ways to continuously exploit the audience’s expectations is staggering.
Because the film is completely based around sound, it manages to give purpose to one of the horror genres oldest clichés: the jump scare. While it seems like a small feat, due to how prevalent and cheap many of they typically feel in other films, it’s a testament to how well the concept works that these previously frowned upon techniques are given new life.
Cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen’s work here is expertly crafted. She frames moments with such an initially simplistic nature. However, as the film progresses, it becomes apparent just how little she is willing to show, leaving audiences to work with their imaginations. It's minimalism in the best possible way.
Like the best horror films, the concept is merely a fantastical and extreme way to start a conversation. The fears of parenting and disappointment are buried in each and every moment of the film, leading to a powerful message by the end and helping to boost an already emotionally effective third act.
Krasinski also manages to fill the movie with small details and moments that seem inconsequential but end up adding so much. This is less a story about surviving monsters, and more a story about protecting family. When do you let go and how much can you truly protect your children?
Details are abound not just in terms of plot though. Seeing how worn and routine some of the family’s daily tasks are adds so much to the emotional heft of the film. This is a place where they’ve built a life. Because the film gently shows this as opposed to shoving it down audience’s throats, it becomes even more effective.
Given the film’s mostly silent nature, musically it would have to show its chops. Thankfully, composer Marco Beltrami’s score is deeply effective at almost all turns. Like in his last score, 2017’s “Logan,” Beltrami isn’t afraid to let sweeping strings and moments of quiet linger within his music. However, he still has the talent and expertise to let the intensity rise when it needs to.
While Krasinski may be the top billed actor, the film belongs to Emily Blunt and Millicent Simmonds. Blunt is captivating every moment she’s on screen, and it just shows how powerful of an actress she is that she can carry these moments despite no dialogue being used.
Millicent is also a tour de force. The young actress had her break out roll in last year’s “Wonderstruck” and her performance as the family’s deaf daughter Regan is the one audience’s will no doubt walk away remembering the most.
It bears repeating that the lack of sound in the film is its best quality. While this concept might seem like pacing poison, Krasinski manages to make everything ebb and flow with such precision that it's barely noticeable. Things end just when they need to and manage to feel satisfying. Not an easy feat given the brief 90-minute run time.
More than all of this though, “A Quiet Place” has such a vibrant energy to the proceedings. Tension runs through every event and it manages to elicit white knuckle fear despite the lack of any audio cues in the film. It gives everything such a genuinely terrifying effect that sets the film apart from others.
It’s also the quietest moments that end up being the most memorable. To be able to see how this family survives, eats, cooks and cleans in this scenario is deeply engaging. The attention that Krasinski and the writers have put into crafting this concept and this world is substantial enough to carry the film without its horror elements. Especially keep an eye out for any scene involving water.
“A Quiet Place” is a tour de force. This indescribably tense and terrifying film will have audiences on the verge of tears one moment and on the verge of screams the next. It manages to utilize its concept completely and wholeheartedly. Bolstered by vibrant details, chilling music sound design and powerful performances, this is a captivating portrait of parental angst and familial dread unlike anything that has ever come before. See this film in theatres with as packed of a crowd as humanly possible. “A Quiet Place” is unlike anything to come from cinema in a very long while. 5/5
Photo Courtesy of Platinum Dunes and Paramount Pictures.
