Shh, this is a tense one
A QUIET PLACE Starring: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe. For whom the decibel tolls
THE wrong advance knowledge about A Quiet Place can crush its chances of shocking, surprising and subverting the expectations.
So if this review seems too coded or vague, it is for good reason.
Should you experience A Quiet Place with nothing more than your guard down, eyes up and ears open, then you will have seen one of the most unforgettable and best movies of 2018.
It opens with a title card informing us it is “Day 89”. It is apparent some kind of catastrophic event has all but emptied the world.
Inside an abandoned store, a family of survivors is gathering provisions.
It is not the urgency that gets your attention. It is their desperate determination to complete their mission without making a sound.
Any sonic activity has the father (John Krasinski) staring daggers at his wife (Emily Blunt) and three children.
The intensity and finality of the threat feels all too real.
Another title card says it is now “Day 472”. The family have struck on an organisational alchemy that has allowed them to go on living almost normally.
The exacting construction — and the sound design — is as impressive as it is effective. The plaudits must go to Krasinski, for a fine performance and his control as director.
You might handle what you see, but what you hear will take some time to get over.