Enjoy the silence

Rating: 9/10 (6 November 2018)

A Quiet Place is a very creative horror movie. It takes place in the near future when mysterious creatures roam the planet that have acute hearing and kill anything and anyone they hear. We follow the lives of the Abbott family, consisting of a courageous mother, a survivalist father, their deaf daughter, their scared son and their curious youngest child. Over the course of about ninety minutes, we see the family face numerous emotive challenges, fight the mysterious creatures and try to find their weakness in order to survive.
The film is short and to the point, with an emotional and ominous atmosphere and story line. The fact that one doesn't know where the creatures come from makes the movie even more horrifying and mysterious. Despite the obvious lack of longer dialogues, viewers empathize with the diversified characters and their common goal to save their family by any means necessary. The acting performances are expressive since the actresses and actors rarely have the occasion to speak. The action sequences are brief and intense. The film has a few minor jump scares but otherwise focuses on its menacing atmosphere. The movie ends on a high note, perfectly balanced between emotional and intellectual elements, with one major problem resolved but many questions left unanswered that offer the audience some food for thought and make the movie unforgettable.
There are only two minor elements to criticize about the movie. First of all, it's hard to believe that a mother would willingly give birth to a child under the grisly circumstances described above, hence risking the lives of the entire family. Having sexual intercourse in an environment where every sound leads to certain death seems out of character for parents who are otherwise very careful, intellectual and organized. Not aborting the fetus seems like an unlikely decision in a world where earnest survival is more important than moral values. Secondly, the movie ended on a high note and certainly doesn't need a sequel. The impact of many great films has been harmed in the past by building a franchise around them when greed took over creativity. I'm not interested in watching a sequel for such a unique film and wished the creative forces behind this movie would reconsider that option and instead focus on another fresh idea.
In the end, if you like creative horror, science-fiction and survival movies, you can't get around watching A Quiet Place. It has outstanding acting performances, an ominous atmosphere and a unique concept. It's refreshing to have a movie that focuses on sounds rather than dialogues. People who have the tendency to talk all the time without saying anything at all should watch this film as well as Don't Breathe and take them as lessons that sometimes a gesture can mean more than a thousand words. Enjoy the silence!