Smart post-apocalyptic horror film is really about the terrifying responsibility of parenting

Rating: 8/10 (22 January 2019)

Smart small-scale post-apocalyptic horror film is really about the horrors of parenting. John Krasinski co-wrote, directed, and stars as the father of a family living in a world where monstrous blind creatures roam the countryside hunting by sound, forcing the family to live in near complete silence. The film begins 89 days after the monsters first appeared and Krasinski and family seem to be the only ones left alive, introduced without explanation, walking barefoot into town to get supplies and medicine. The family has an advantage in this new silent world in that their oldest daughter is deaf and they all know sign language. The film is endlessly fascinating, seeing how the family has adapted to survive in this silent world, creating sand paths to quietly get from place-to-place, leaving all door open to avoid noise, and an elaborate system of colored lights to silently communicate danger. Different ways the family has adapted to live in silence are shown throughout the film and are a great hook to hold audience interest (Don't even ask about Krasinski's wife, Emily Blunt (who are a real-life married couple), being pregnant and their plan for how to keep the infant quiet!). From a filmmaking perspective, "A Quiet Place" is unique in it's use of silence and reliance on visuals to tell its story. Most horror movies rely on jarring sounds and pounding music to build suspense, while Krasinski has crafted a film where the smallest sound becomes terrifying. Even more impressive, from a storytelling perspective, Krasinski has created what is essentially a modern day silent film. There is almost no spoken dialogue and most of the film has the characters communicating through ASL. The original plan was to not include subtitles for the ASL, but at the last minute the filmmakers decided to include them. I chose to watch the film without subtitles and it worked perfect without, which is a testament to Krasinski's talent as a writer/director, as well as credit to the talents of the actors involved. Original ideas for horror films are rare these days, and this was a pretty clever twist on the tired end-of-the-world scenario, but what makes "A Quiet Place" a cut above most of its ilk is the film's emotional depth. Most post apocalyptic and horror films are simply exciting survival tales, and this film is certain that, but at its core it's about the terrifying responsibility of parenting. The most resonant parts of the film are the parents' constant vigilance to keep their children safe, teaching them how to survive in this new world, and their guilt over mistakes that have made (even when it was not their fault). This identifiable human emotional level is often missing from horror films, but when it is present, it makes the suspense and horror elements all the more terrifying, which is what makes "A Quiet Place" one of the most effective horror films of recent memory. Well worth watching, even for non-horror fans!