Movie Review: “A Quiet Place”

“A Quiet Place” is one of those refreshingly original movies that shows that you don’t need a mammoth budget to make an effective movie. A smart and tense screenplay, a terrific cast and absolutely brilliant direction by actor-director (and co-writer) John Krasinski make for one of the standout movies of the year so far.

The plot is fairly simple – a family is trying to survive in a world that has been invaded by creatures that use sound as the means for hunting their prey. The family is able to adapt using sign language to communicate, staying really quiet and generally using their smarts to stay away from the creatures. Krasinski uses the silence as a powerful tool to evoke tension and fear, and there were many scenes where I was holding by breath and trying not to make a sound (I was very lucky to be in a screening where the members of the audience were also equally engrossed and there were no instances of phones ringing and people generally being inconsiderate). In fact, the movie was such an immersive experience for me that even after the credits rolled, and even as I am writing this review, I feel like keeping the noise to a minimum so that I don’t lose the feel of the movie. There is very limited dialogue in the movie, and it almost comes as a relief in the proceedings where everyone tries not to make a sound. It was such an effective tool, I felt the creatures in the movie were the least scary thing.

The screenplay is top-notch. It is a good thing that there is hardly any exposition, and audiences are filled in through newspaper clippings and notes on boards, as well as character experiences. The underlying themes of parenthood and protecting your family give it the emotional heft that makes you invest in the characters. The stakes are established very early, and it’s great how they show that actions have consequences, no matter what the intention or motivation.

The characters are very well written, and the actors do them complete justice. The child actors are great, and Millicent Simmonds is exceptional as the deaf daughter who is going through so much internal turmoil. Emily Blunt is fantastic and has some of the best moments, which she completely steals – she really makes you feel her character’s dread. And John Krasinski is very good as the father who will do anything to protect his family.

Krasinski’s direction is the movie’s revelation and its biggest highlight – it takes great skill to keep the audience continually engaged and on the edge of their seats, and Krasinski doesn’t rely on too many jump scares to get the frights either. The constant elevation of tension is achieved mostly in scenes where characters are waiting; and being very careful about the sounds they make. The camerawork, the lighting, the silence and the overall atmospherics are absolutely perfect and Krasinski achieves everything that is required. I hope he does more directing soon and am very excited to see what he comes up with.

To sum up, it’s a great movie with really immersive storytelling and one of those rare gems where everything comes together to give you what feels like a complete package (something that is actually very rare) – two thumbs up and a strong recommendation to watch it!