For me, a trip to the movie theatre is rare these days. With a large family, it’s much simpler to microwave the popcorn and Netflix our way through a peaceful Friday night. But I made the exception to see A Quiet Place. I did so because I love Jim Halpert. The Office was a comedic genius. Jim Halpert (played by John Krasinski) earned enough brownie points to give him a chance outside the office set. So, I decided to dive into his breakout moment; that moment when nice Jim Halpert jumps into the land of blind monsters.
The English band The Tremeloes waxed poetically when they sang Silence is golden. In John Krasinski’s world, silence is not only golden but the key to survival. In a world where sign language and few soft spoken words and whispers compose verbal communication, one family submits to the art of quietness. The dinner table is not filled with outrageous laughter, but meditation and contemplation. Board games cease to become moments of loud and intense competition, but inaudible strategizing. In fact, the overwhelming silence communicates a profound paradox throughout. How can one express grief and love without words? A Quiet Place answers those questions with a series of silent but compelling replies.
In a sense, there is nothing new about this movie. Monsters and men always have shared screens together. Each is pursuing their agenda of destruction or salvation. But what is new about this old scene is that this script takes the ordinary and bathes it in inexplicable sacrifice. How far will a father go to save his family and how far will he go to communicate love through silence? These questions are given definitive answers throughout, but the answers are given in the context of excruciating tension. Blind monsters have never been so terrifying; pain has never been so privatized, and family has never been so treasured!
Watch A Quiet Place with a heavy dose of anticipation. Redemption does come. Love does win. But the road to victory is paved with the sounds of evil.
