REVIEW: ‘A Quiet Place’ breaks the silence in theaters
John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place” provides a new, fresh take on the horror film genre. “A Quiet Place” follows the Abbott family who must live silently in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by monsters who hunt their prey based off of sounds. Krasinski directed, acted and helped write the screenplay for this film. Krasinski plays Lee Abbott and is joined by his real-life wife, Emily Blunt, who plays Evelyn Abbott.
The family has developed an intricate lighting system which indicates whether or not there is a problem at home. The Abbott family relies almost entirely on visual language to communicate because the monsters within their world are blind and are drawn to even the smallest of sounds. The use of nonverbal communication in this film is masterful.
With the exception of one scene, this movie is inclusive of the deaf community because virtually all dialogue is exchanged through sign language with accompanying subtitles. In lieu of verbal language, the actors’ use of facial expressions and body language demonstrates their skill as thespians.
Regan Abbott, eldest daughter of the Abbott family is deaf and is played by Millicent Simmonds who is also deaf. Simmonds’ character plays a vital role in this film and, in some scenes, the audience is able to experience the world through her perspective. We see the character struggle with several cochlear implants and her frustration rise as each time her father tries to fix the implants yet her world stays silent.
The audience is able to see the intense preparations made by the Abbott family, and the many intricate systems they have created by showing them in use without wasting screen time by showing the labor-intensive process of creating such systems.
“A Quiet Place” is a masterpiece of suspense and makes every movement in a dark theater, such as the crunching of popcorn or the squeaking of a chair, as obvious as a bright phone screen. Long periods of silence, combined with the knowledge of how dire the Abbotts’ situation is, creates tremendous amounts of suspense for the audience. All of the unknowns surrounding the monsters draw the audience in as they piece together the mystery surrounding the monsters. However, the film is written so that the fine details of the monsters do not matter to the overall story.
Unusual to the horror genre, “A Quiet Place” leads with a strong message about the bonds of family and the importance of that bond in society’s lives today. The Abbott family must rely on one another in order to survive. Both Lee and Evelyn struggle with their inability to protect their children, knowing that one mistake, one wrong move can draw the monsters straight to their family. Lee and Evelyn are tested when after they have done everything they can to protect their children, it still may not be enough.
“A Quiet Place” has a 95 percent rating with movie critic website Rotten Tomatoes and has earned $50.2 million in box office sales during its opening weekend.
