A Quiet Place: Day One Movie Review – Prequels to popular franchises are usually seen as mere money-making tools. But Michael Sarnoski’s prequel to John Krasinski’s post-apocalyptic franchise is a poignant portrayal of everything A Quiet Place represents – human resilience, a connection with the oppressed and the voice of silence. It’s set in New York City, when the noise-detecting Death’s Angels first invade Earth.
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This dystopian thriller revolves around Sam (Lupita Nyong’o), who is suffering from a terminal illness in a care center at the time when the Death Angels attack NYC. Like Emily Blunt, Lupita plays a captivating emotional anchor who can speak volumes without words. She uses her moist, pained eyes and quivering body language to convey the fear and trauma inherent in a franchise like this.
But the setting makes a big difference. The film begins with how noisy New York City is. It ends with Sam remarking that when one is quiet the sounds of the city can be heard. It is a strong comment on the increasing decibels in metropolises under the guise of urbanization, and how noise pollution is a beast whose dangers are often overlooked. NYC has been shown on screen before in all its romantic glory, with the corporate bustle being a major aspect of the romanticization, but rarely has it been shown with all its loud sounds and excessive noise like in this film.
Also, unlike the post-apocalyptic setting of the first two parts, the urban setting of the prequel makes it all the more relevant. One gets the feeling that the city that was once proudly claimed is now destroyed and unlivable. Production designer Simon Bowles has done a brilliant job with his staging of NYC in ruins. With shoes littered on the sidewalks and remains of cars scattered on the streets, NYC turns into a graveyard with only the slightest hints of how vibrant and lively the city used to be. When Sam roams the murderous streets of the city with a white ‘I Heart NYC’ tote bag, it makes poetic sense.
Since this is the first time that humans face the Death Angels, it is more exciting to know how they find ways to outsmart them. Unlike the previous two parts, there are no guns or safety homes or even a strong will to not speak a word. Sam and his fellow NYC residents learn everything on the go, make mistakes and pay the price. More deaths, more dangers, before humans do what they do best – adapt and evolve. They learn to use nature well, raising their decibels to a whisper when the slightest sound of rain drowns them out, or emitting a loud crackling sound at the first glimpse of lightning, as thunder naturally follows.
Humans not only draw closer to nature as a safety mechanism, but also start valuing their other senses more. When their voices are turned off, their other sensory organs become more active. When Sam talks about how her late father played the piano “beautifully” just like her, we yearn for the sound of the piano. When we see her sniffing at books lying unattended on the street, we get a sense of normality. The furry touch of her cat comes as a much-needed reassurance in times of crisis. And when she runs through the crowd in search of pizza, you don’t question her unreasonable demand and just go along with it. Because a slice of pizza has never been more valuable than it is when the earth is going through an apocalypse.
It’s also nice to see that family isn’t the main driving force in this installment. Instead, strangers come to each other’s aid in this installment. It’s especially lovely to see Eric (Joseph Quinn), a law student from London, step up to help and fulfill Sam’s final wishes. The bond starts with her cat, then moves to listening to her father’s piano that he’s never heard before and enjoying her favorite pizza place that he’s never been to. The Stranger Things star may not be as effective as his nurse Reuben (Alex Wolff) when it comes to feeling fear in every bone of his body, but his youthful charm and charming goodness help craft Sam’s satisfying story.
A Quiet Place as a franchise is all about the typical dystopian traits – aliens, apocalypse and the instincts of human survival. But when it takes place in the lap of one of the world’s most promising cities, it’s no longer distant and unfamiliar. It becomes more pulsating, more immediate and most importantly, more palpable. So much so that when the main characters use a well-timed thunder to emit deafening screams, you can’t help but feel both the throbbing desperation of disturbing a quiet place and the relief that follows.
