A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place, the horror flick from earlier this year directed by and starring John Krasinski and his real-life wife Emily Blunt, is a most brave film in a genre that sometimes competes with itself to be the loudest in the room.

A Quiet Place doesn't do those usual tricks, and, as the title suggests, is remarkably hushed. There is hardly any dialogue. What little dialogue there is in usually in the form of American Sign Language. There is a score (a pretty good one by Marco Beltrami, who has written music for numerous horror movies, such as Scream and The Woman in Black), but it's not a dominating one like in Psycho or Jaws. All in all, this is a rather silent movie, and it pays off well.

At some point, the reviewer needs to explain the plot. I firmly believe that the less you know about this movie, the better. What I will tell you is that centers on a family living in a rural part of the country. Blunt and Krasinski play the parents of three young children (played by Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, and Cade Woodward). They are basically the only cast members in the film, which was made with a somewhat low-budget of $18 million but made more than $50 million in just its opening weekend.

The actors are terrific. Blunt has never been better, Krasinski delivers a performance so unlike what fans are used to seeing him as Jim in The Office, and young Jupe gives a particularly noteworthy performance. But the best reviews probably go to young Simmonds. Simmonds, who herself is deaf and uses American Sign Language, delivers a perfect performance of a young girl growing up in a world turned upside down. She blames herself for things that have happened to their family, and she argues with her father. The father (Krasinski) is (or was) an engineer, so he's constantly tinkering with cochlear implants but comes up short. The two argue, with one often disappointing the other. The family constantly makes efforts to keep quiet, and yet they face problem after problem. What makes matters worse for this family is that Blunt's character is pregnant and about to give birth; it goes without saying that such an act is not a quiet one, further complicating their efforts to survive.

Much praise goes to Krasinski for his acting and directing. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Bryan Woods and Scott Beck. Let's hope many more horror films continue to be as smart and fun as this one.