Silence can be deafening. In today’s society, noise is a fact of life. We take for granted the ability to take a step without fear of a creaky floor. The most troubling aspect of dropping a glass object is, and should be, the shattered glass, not the piercing sound it makes. And if we so happen to step on a nail, by all means, we have the luxury of screaming out in agony.
So what if you lived in a world of silence, unable to make even the slightest noise? “A Quiet Place” answers that for us, and the response is horrifying.
Based in the not-so-distant future, a family lives in complete silence, communicating through American Sign Language (ASL). The world around them is empty, and it’s not until the youngest of the family activates the sound from a toy that the audience is introduced to the true horror of the film: sightless, man-eating creatures that hunt by sound.
As the movie progresses, the audience experiences what life would be like without the simplicities of kitchen appliances, vehicles and verbal communication. Instead, the family is reduced to near muteness in fear of death.
John Krasinski directs and stars in the film, playing the survivalist father bent on protecting his family at all costs. Krasinski’s real-life wife, Emily Blunt, plays his on-screen wife, which creates a level of chemistry between the two characters that is almost impossible to replicate.
The use of a deaf actress to play the role of the deaf daughter is also key to the movie’s success. ASL is used as the primary source of communication. In fact, the first word spoken comes almost 45 minutes into the 90-minute film. Having an actress who understands the role so personally helps portray the character to the audience in an extremely authentic way.
“A Quiet Place” is terrifying. It will scare you. It will disgust you. It will most likely make you tear up. But one thing it won’t do is disappoint you. This film has all the makings of the best film of 2018. My advice? See it as soon as you can.
