Imagine a world where any sound you make spells your death. Paramount Films latest offering A Quiet Place is a cinematic study in silence. Real life couple John Krasinsky and Emily Blunt play husband and wife Lee and Evelyn Abbott. Their family of five is one of the last survivors of an unknown creature invasion. They only know one thing for sure – not to make any noise. The invaders are killers who are blind but highly sensitive to sound and can track and destroy any living creature from great distances.
Using their farming skills, little scientific know-how and sheer grit, the Abbotts learn to survive and outwit the monsters-at-large. Eldest daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds) is deaf but is very brave, smart and intuitive. She thinks her father is punishing her for something she does earlier in the film. Second child Marcus (Noah Jupe) is a scared boy who has to live up to the expectations of his father. “You have to learn how to do things so you can protect your mother.” The third child is too young to fully grasp the world he lives in.
Imagine delivering a baby without making a sound while a deadly beast is hunting you.
Left to right: Noah Jupe plays Marcus Abbott and John Krasinski plays Lee Abbott in A QUIET PLACE, from Paramount Pictures.
Emily Blunt gives a most versatile performance in this movie. What wouldn’t a mother do for her children? She cooks, launders, cleans house and even teaches her children math by using sign language and lip reading. Her most difficult scene? Imagine delivering a baby without making a sound while a deadly beast is hunting you.
Emily Blunt , silent scream.
The movie allows the audience to use their imagination in ways that make it even scarier. The scarcity of the spoke language heightens the anticipation of what will come next. Horror movie fans know full well that hearing is scarier than seeing and this is exploited to the hilt by Krasinski who also directs the film. Musical score and sound editing are used efficiently to make the story more gripping.
One of the things that stood out for me is breaking gender norms. Here both women are strong. Yes, the father has set up a workshop to learn more about the enemy and even builds an underground safe place for when the baby arrives but the mother is determined to protect the family at all cost. Daughter Regan is fearless and dislikes being told to stay home instead of exploring what’s out there. She proves here that a girl, with a disability at that, has what it takes to save the world.
Great performances from the cast, a show of family love and fortitude, A Quiet Place delivers quite the suspense and thrill. Glad we are allowed to scream… and we did!
