Cinematic Point Of View

I went into A Quiet Place: Day One with zero expectations. The first two films were clever and cool, but not at the top of my favorite films list. Turns out this little film was actually really very good.

This movie is about finding a reason to live and care even when the chips are down. A simple, slice-of-life survival story set in the larger Quiet Place universe. It doesn’t try to out-do the first two films in terms of action, but focuses more on two characters and their personal journeys.

The movie hooked me right from the start with the introduction of the main character Samara, played brilliantly by Lupita Nyong’o. Samara is living in a hospice and dying of cancer. She is bitter. She is tired. She has zero patience for anyone else.

Rueben, a nurse in charge of the group, played by Alex Wolff, convinces Samara to come out with them to the city and take in a show. She resists but begrudgingly accepts the offer thinking she can get a slice of New York pizza while she’s there. It might be her last.

It’s while the group is on this field trip to the city that the alien invasion begins. The joy and strength of this little film was learning about the characters, so I won’t give away much more than that.

I will say though, that there is a remarkable puppet show scene, before the invasion, that beautifully symbolizes the journey of life and sets just the right tone for the film. Director Michael Sarnoski, who also directed the very empathetic and touching Nicolas Cage film Pig, brings that same human touch to A Quiet Place: Day One.

Another thing that instantly endeared me to this movie was Samara’s service cat. In a world where silence equals life, there isn’t a chance in the world that you could survive with a cat by your side. It’s an early indicator of setting your expectations for how this movie will unfold. Our family has 4 cats and they would get us killed for sure.

In this world, Samara’s cat is an absolute miracle cat, rarely making a sound and capable of going into any action scene as if it were a stuffed animal. It was a bit of much-needed humor in a dark tale and I loved it. It reminded me of Indiana Jones’ hat always staying on or showing up after a fight.

Along the way, Samara meets Eric, played by Joseph Quinn. He is as charming and sympathetic as Samara and the two of them have great on-screen chemistry. The fact that the majority of this film is silent, or at least communication is done without words, is a true testament to just how good these two actors are.

The alien scenes are all well done. Nothing groundbreaking or Earth shattering really, but just solid, good work. I saw this with my daughter in a theater with D-Box seats and I will tell you that a stampede of those monsters running by was very effective in that setup.

And one more thing, it was the quietest theater I’ve been to in a long time. Nobody talked. My daughter and I found ourselves being just as quiet as the characters in the movie, talking with our hands and eyes throughout. A pretty neat trick to get this modern world of movie goers to be quiet and pay attention for a couple of of hours. For that alone, this film gets a big thumbs up.

In the end, A Quiet Place: Day One is a surprisingly sweet and sentimental journey in a world headed toward the end of times. It’ll make you laugh and jump and shed a few tears.

It’s a good night at the movies anchored by some knock-out performances. Give it a watch!