Shadows on the Wall | A Quiet Place: Day One

A Quiet Place: Day One

dir-scr Michael Sarnoski
prd Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, John Krasinski
with Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, Thea Butler, Jennifer Woodward, Sunjay Midda, Elijah Ungvary, Kait Feeney, Zay Domo Artist, Malik Jubal, Alexander John
release US/UK 28.Jun.24
24/UK Paramount 1h39

See also:

Is it streaming?

Writer-director Michael Sarnoski brings his internalised approach to storytelling, adding an involving twist to this prequel to John Krasinski's hushed 2018 dramatic horror. After a carefully conceived opening sequence introduces the central character, things once again get very, very quiet as sightless aliens take Manhattan. But alongside the brutal violence there's the moving story of a woman and her cat making peace with whatever world they are facing.

In hospice care, Samira (Nyong'o) is in the final stages of her illness when her nurse Reuben (Wolff) offers another last trip into the city for theatre and pizza. But the show is interrupted by an otherworldly invasion that leaves New York in ruins. Samira takes her service cat Frodo and heads north, against the grain of silently shuffling survivors, because she has unfinished business in Harlem. Along the way she is joined by terrified young lawyer Eric (Quinn), and Frodo likes him too. He helps Samira retrace her steps to her favourite pizza place.

Violence erupts in bewildering ways, continually sending Samira and Eric scrambling to find their feet. Sequences are shot with a tight perspective, and this time there's no effort to conceal the monsters. Action is sudden and often nasty, but never too explicit. Instead, the focus remains on these two fragile people trying to find meaning in the chaos. There is one tense sequence that feels oddly out of place, set in a digital bog rather than the gritty streets of New York (which were actually filmed in Britain).

Because of the intimate script and direction, the actors are able to deepen their roles even without much context. Nyong'o has the prolog to set up Samira's reality, so her yearning makes sense in a resonant way. Quinn's panic-stricken Eric is more enigmatic, but he plays it with a striking openness. This is a man who really needs some sanity around him, so Samira's quest becomes his own. And it's nice to see the charismatic Hounsou reprise his role from the sequel in a few key scenes.

There's a dark underlying theme here about what it is that makes us feel safe, specifically when our life is threatened and our days are numbered. Samira finds a way to stand up to this new menace by confronting the illness that is killing her from inside. And the film's remarkable final scenes suggest something complex and even quietly encouraging about human nature.

themes, language, violence 25.Jun.24

R E A D E R R E V I E W S

Still waiting for your comments ... don't be shy.