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| From left: Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds, and John Krasinski in "A Quiet Place" Photo credit: RottenTomatoes.com |
A talented film director can come from anywhere. What’s even more impressive is when a recognized name who isn’t known for filmmaking astounds us all and delivers something great. For me, it’s most-notable when a filmmaker’s fresh talents emerge with the horror genre because it’s one of those genres where you can’t imagine just anyone having a chance at directing a movie. This is what happened last year when writer-director Jordan Peele surprised us with his horror film, “Get Out.”
Well, a horror movie has come from an unlikely individual once again; this time, with “The Office” alum John Krasinski, director and co-writer for “A Quiet Place.” While he has two small indie films on his résumé as a director, it seems as though his filmmaking has taken off with his latest film. Strengthened by an intriguing premise and strong emotional beats, this is a movie that shows Krasinski as a director with possibilities.
In a post-apocalyptic world, survivors go by one rule: live in silence. They must do so in order to avoid monsters who hunt by sound. A father (Krasinski), mother (Emily Blunt), and their children (Millicent Simmons, Noah Jupe, and Cade Woodward) live on a farm outside of a deserted town and alter their lives to make as little noise as possible.
Given the film’s concept, the cast only has a couple of quick scenes where they use dialogue at a normal level; whereas, throughout the rest of the film, they have to use sign language and near-inaudible whispers. Because of this, they have to mostly rely on their facial expressions and sign language to let the emotions come through, and the whole cast does superb work with this.
Having Krasinski and his wife (Blunt) portray a married couple in the film adds some authenticity to the family bonds. Because of this, they don’t have any trouble in conveying an endearing, heartfelt bond, despite it being mostly done without dialogue.
Just like how Krasinski builds authenticity in the cast by acting alongside his wife, what also helps in the believability of the characters is having a hearing-impaired actress portray their daughter. Simmonds is a standout in the film because while the other characters are given chances to talk every now and then, she only has non-verbal tools in order to express herself, which makes her role all of the more compelling. The way in which her character navigates the world in the film provides us with a view of how she perseveres towards her survival and doesn’t let her disability get in the way, allowing us to feel a deeper connection to her character. This is assisted by Krasinski’s effective use of sound because whenever we have a shot or scene that focuses on Simmonds’ character, he cuts out the sound in order to place us in her situation of living in silence.
The screenplay by Krasinski, Bryan Woods, and Scott Beck provides a clever idea for a horror story and makes the most out of it. But, their narrative is more than its frightening set pieces because they also create strong family drama in the middle of it all, and through this, we’re given a look at how they connect and the emotional struggles that they face in an uncertain world. This aspect is most-notable when the movie focuses on a downplayed, yet poignant plot thread that involves a rift between the father and daughter. There’s also some smart social commentary if you look closely enough.
Although Krasinski’s occasional use of jump scares is a bit bothersome, he makes up for it by creating some tense scenes for his characters, particularly a nerve-racking sequence involving Blunt’s character near the end of the second act. The way in which he uses confined spaces for many of the film’s nail-biting scenes, with the help of Charlotte Bruus Christensen’s cinematography, will cause you to freeze up as the characters are placed in danger and must figure out how to outsmart the monsters. Through all of this, Krasinski displays the ability to grip an audience and make them unable to breathe until the peril has passed.
Krasinski provides one of the most-enjoyable experiences you’ll have at the movies this season, and maybe the whole year. You have a riveting concept, memorable frights, and characters for whom you care, all of which make “A Quiet Place” a movie about which you won’t be able to stay quiet.
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