This is not one of those films that mistakes shaky camerawork for horror storytelling. The film has a beautiful sense of geography, almost all of it taking place on a farm that Krasinski and his technical team lay out in a way that allows us to feel like we know it. It feels like every shot has been considered incredibly carefully as the film ticks like a clock on a bomb, perfectly balancing scares with scenes that set up the emotional stakes and the world of these characters. “A Quiet Place” is a no-nonsense, lean movie-the best kind when it comes to thrillers. It also helps that Krasinski displays a sense of composition and economic storytelling that he hasn’t really before in other films. It’s a very subtle, clever storytelling tool to build tension when a director and his co-screenwriters aren’t allowed to use dialogue to do so, and it pulls us into this world in a way that's unexpected and incredibly enjoyable. There aren’t rooms of wind chimes or broken glass. Don’t worry-Krasinski doesn’t overplay it at all. He’s regularly-but not too regularly-setting up what could be called 'auditory expectations.' He’ll show us a shotgun or an exposed nail in the floor or a timer in silence-and we know full well what sounds those are likely to produce. He’s incredibly smart about the way he brings the viewer into this auditory game. Larger-than-life enemies that can detect their prey aurally have been a part of great cinema for years, from the xenomorph hunting the crew of the Nostromo in “ Alien” to the dinosaurs of “ Jurassic Park,” and Krasinski knows that lineage. Preparing for the arrival of a newborn baby in a world without noise is difficult, and the father continues to pore over newspaper articles and research, looking for a way to stop the creatures that kill at the slightest sound. The bulk of “A Quiet Place” takes place over a year later, as the family continues to grieve and the mother is about 38 weeks pregnant. And the danger is intensified in the following sequence as the youngest child finds a toy that makes noise and. We quickly discern that sound in this world is dangerous. They communicate in sign language and are incredibly careful not to make a sound, but the youngest boy draws a picture of a rocket on the floor-the thing that he signs will take them all away. The family very slowly-on tiptoes-moves around a small-town store, taking some of the few remaining supplies and some prescription drugs for the older boy, who looks like he has the flu. A title card says it’s “Day 89,” and we can tell we’re in a recently-post-apocalyptic world. The eldest, the girl, is deaf (as is the remarkable young actress who plays her). We see a family-Krasinski plays the unnamed father, his real-life wife Emily Blunt plays the mother, and Noah Jupe (“ Suburbicon”), Millicent Simmonds (“ Wonderstruck”), and Cade Woodward play their three children. With his script, co-written by Bryan Woods and Scott Beck, Krasinski wastes no time.
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