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Original Version in Spanish: https://www.semana.com/un-lugar-en-silencio-la-pelicula-de-la-que-todos-hablan/563607/
Directed by John Krasinski and starring himself and his wife Emily Blunt, the film has won applause from critics and the public. What makes it so striking?
In its opening weekend, A Quiet Place grossed more than $50 million in the United States and surpassed Steven Spielberg's Ready Player On. In Colombia, 121,289 viewers made it the Starbucks of the weekend. Few saw this phenomenon coming, but it arrived and has already left its mark on the box office and critics. Why?
(Watch for spoilers). In a post-apocalyptic world, invaded by monsters with giant fangs, only those who maintain total silence survive. The creatures are blind, but their powerful ears allow them to detect their victims with the slightest noise. A family, accustomed to sign language because the eldest of their children is deaf and mute, has everything coordinated to live in those conditions. Its members are waiting for a situation that could put the five of them at risk, and the story unfolds so that taking your eyes off the screen becomes very difficult.
It does, however, take its time to develop, and this seems to add to the uncomfortable experience. In a cinema full of people completely silent (an unusual situation), the wait adds to the anxiety. You want the plot to start, to burst in at once and end the overwhelming silence that invades the room, but the delay seems justified while the director establishes the dynamic to which the family has been getting used since “everything happened.”
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From there, silence becomes an ally, and music and sounds become essential to keep the audience expectant. Thus, by managing these elements, the chair jumps become more pronounced. It achieve pure suspense with just 3 minutes of dialogue.
Despite its small gaps (it is striking how, in some parts, the monsters seem to hear even the slightest sigh and in others, they don't), the plot and the nuances of the characters satisfy. Emily Blunt stands out in a magnificent role as a dedicated mother who lives with the horror of surviving for her children, inspiring the desire to live in a terrible world. John Krasinski, her husband (in the film and in real life) and also the film director (remembered for his role as Jim in The Office US ), uses his rough and manly features to reveal the affection of a father willing to give everything. Sometimes, that hermetic look makes you think that perhaps more dynamism was needed on his part.
About the director, it is worth highlighting the work he did with children. Also, the delivery of actress Millicent Simmonds, 16, who plays Regan and is deaf and mute in real life. From her comes her greatest drama, and she provides the film with a strong charge of guilt, sadness, and - finally - bravery.
The critical response has been overwhelming. Stephen King praised it on his Twitter, saying that it was an extraordinary work. “Excellent acting, but the main thing is SILENCE, and how it makes the eye of the camera open in a way that few films achieve,” he stated. Since its Premiere at the South by SouthWest festival in Austin, Texas, a month ago, word of mouth has spread rapidly, and very few have been disappointed. There are some and they claim that the film is acceptable, but that we are so used to mediocre horror films that good direction, good art, and good performances are elements treated with special respect.
For this viewer, A Silent Place captivates, because the plot distances itself from the usual and, more importantly, achieves its objective: it generates constant tension in the viewer, a fact that is always appreciated by lovers of suspense.
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