Silent Screams

Rating: 8/10 (6 April 2018)

Think of how you react every time the Jehovah's Witnesses ring your doorbell; then imagine having to act that way 24/7, and then you'll know partly how the character's feel in John Krasinski's "A Quiet Place".
No shoes, no talking, no games, no loud noises. That's how the family at the center of this movie survive the blind monsters who hunt according to sound.
These monsters are fast and they are lethal but it's their design and very similarity to the end of "10 Cloverfield Lane" that will have people wondering if all this has something to do with the Cloverfield Universe.
You have to admire the adherence to the premise- everything from the way these characters cook their food to their reliance on sign language to their ability to hold in a cry to how and where they walk feels as if it's been honed through hours and hours of practice.
Accidents happen though and when they do each one feels like a shot to your heart. There may not be a lot to this plot but it's a taut exercise in genre filmmaking that makes it all the more hard to breathe as we realize just how difficult living in this new world can be.
You end up feeling for and loving these characters too which is all the more impressive since they hardly ever talk. There's beautiful chemistry between Krasinski and his wife, here played by his actual wife Emily Blunt, who deal with everything from the insurmountable task of putting the protection of the family on their backs to dealing with their own personal loss.
The kid actors they got for this also do a hell of a nice job, especially Millicent Simmonds, whose character is put at an even greater disadvantage than the others and is seen as maybe not strong enough because of it.
I see a lot of people giving this movie crap cause it was directed by the guy from "The Office", cause it's not like that other bum (Steve Carell) ever did anything more with his career. Basically you don't know. Dwight could be in a Chris Nolan movie next. You don't know. All that's known for sure is Jim does a damn fine job with an atmospheric, suspenseful, perfectly acted debut.
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