Film Review: A Quiet Place
I took a break from my Horror Film class and went to see A Quiet Place (Krasinski 2018). I know! The irony could knock me down... It was, in a word — wonderful. I love a good scare, especially when it is subtle, and smart. As a director, Krasinski shows remarkable restraint and has a way of wringing out as much from his actors (all of eight if you include him too) to elicit the most empathy for this little family. He never defaults to a.) overly sentimental dialogue or b.) sunny flashbacks of how great the world used to be.
The chemistry between Krasinki and real life wife, Emily Blunt is a pleasure to watch, their performances are nuanced, complex and lovely. Their tenderness is palatable. Krasinski's everyman quality is pitch perfect here. His physicality plays well too. He is just tall enough, just brawny enough, to make us believe, that maybe, just maybe he can protect his family in this dystopian hellscape. Alas, the fate of their world rests on those broad shoulders and for all his sincerity, that is a lot to ask. Their on-screen relationship is both traditional, in a world that resembles 1918 more than 2018, and unconventional, especially those final scenes. I do love when tropes are subverted. All you have heard about this kids' performances is true. These young actors, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe, are wonderful.
There is very, very little dialogue and one fabulous Neil Young song (a personal favorite) which is well-chosen and well-placed in this silent, scary world. Despite the spare dialogue, you are never left wondering what is happening, there is enough exposition (maybe even a little too much?) which sets the premise up nicely. Subtitles are used sparingly, but are almost superfluous. We meet the Abbotts on a typical day, Day 89, in medias res, and from there the tension builds continuously to a crashing crescendo. I had to remind myself to breathe a few times...
The ending is as satisfying as it is abrupt. I hadn't worked it out completely while the final credits rolled, but by the time I got back in my car, I had it all sorted (at least I think I know what happened :) There are a few jump scares, one fabulous Lewton Bus Scare* and not so much gore. My guess is John Krasinski is a fan of the film Witness (Weir 1985) or director Peter Weir. If you are too, you'll know what I'm talking about.
My advice — go see it! And definitley in a theatre. This is the kind of film where the setting really and truly matters.
*A Lewton Bus scare is when on screen, there is a slow, steady uptick in tension, culminating is something harmless. It was named for Val Lewton, a producer from RKO in the 40s who, because of very low budgets and the restrictive Hays Code, had to create drama and tension without the gore and splatter modern audience enjoy so rapaciously.
This is the scene that coined the phrase:
