A Quiet Place silently triumphs

In a world destroyed by alien creatures, keeping silent is the only way to survive. John Krasinski does whatever he can to protect his family, quite literally, as he is played opposite his wife in real life, Emily Blunt. What results is a silent thriller that keeps you on edge at all times. 

Based off a short story, John Krasinski has taken this story to heart by making it his feature length directorial debut, but also starting and executive producing the project. As the title suggests, this is a quiet place and as such, a fairly silent film mostly through and only uses dialogue when necessary to convey something more. Whether it's further understanding between a father and son, or heightened tension to survive, dialogue is used so sparingly that when they do speak, it invites you to carefully listen. Amazingly, there is an entire world built and explained without the use of an overdrawn monologue or lengthy exposition as we, the audience, gain insight through action and interaction of the characters. 

The meat of this film is the acting, as everything must be conveyed via sign language or visual expressions. While the former is uses in place of dialogue, the latter is what makes the film. John Krasinski is brave and stoic, but shows his constant fear when the children aren't present to show the audience he is also scared for his life. However, the standout is Emily Blunt as the pregnant wife going through childbirth while trying to remain quiet. You feel the tension build and care for her survival, and for everyone's survival. Due to a lack of dialogue, it can be hard to get invested in characters, but A Quiet Place makes that its strength as noise equates to death and thus instant caring in a family setting.

A Quiet Place isn't your typical horror film that solely relies on jump scares to entertain, but rather delivers on a family dynamic that makes you invested in this story. John Krasinski has directed a beautiful piece of work that grips you until the end. A wonderfully played family film set in the horror genre, expect this film to end up on a couple end of the year lists.

- Mike