A Quiet Place: Day One has a unique protagonist for an apocalyptic movie. Lupita Nyong’o (Black Panther, Us) radiates pain and despair as Samira (“Sam”), a terminally ill cancer patient living in a hospice home outside New York City. She agrees to go on a group outing to a local theater in the city only because it comes with the promise of pizza. Upon leaving the theater, they witness meteor-like objects crashing all around, followed moments later by scores of rampaging, giant spider-like monsters. They make it back inside the theater where many people are gathered. Not a whisper can be heard.
A Quiet Place: Day One is directed by Michael Sarnoski (Pig) based on the story he conceived with John Krasinski. (Krasinski directed the two earlier films of the franchise.) Day One serves as both a spin-off and a prequel. While A Quiet Place Part II (see my review Shh…A Quiet Place is Back with More Scary Silence) quickly visited the arrival of the visitors from outer space (remember the Abbotts barreling backwards in their car to escape?), it quickly jumped ahead one year. Day One stays in the early moments of the invasion. You’ll be disappointed if you’re expecting to find out more about the backstory, such as where the extraterrestrial creatures are from, what is their motive for attacking us, or how the humans discovered so quickly that they have extraordinary hearing. The film focuses on human connection amid the end of the world, rather than scares, violence, and mayhem (although I still jumped out of my seat a few times).
The human bond is embodied by Sam and law student Eric (Joseph Quinn, Stranger Things). She meets Eric in an alley as he’s walking with a cat in tow. Oh, did I forget to mention Frodo (played by Nico and Schnitzel)? He is Sam’s emotional support pet and her sole reason for living at this point. In what has to be one of the finest feline performances ever, Frodo is a constant companion skirting through the wreckage of NYC with them and periodically getting lost in the chaos. As they hide and huddle from the creatures, you’ll hold your breath hoping Frodo doesn’t meow, hiss, or yowl.
A Quiet Place: Day One is an absorbing, poignant journey. When death from illness is imminent, one’s life decisions, particularly while civilization is crumbling, are limited and immediate. Like eating one more slice of pizza. The surviving masses are scrambling toward the seaport for possible rescue, while Sam goes in the opposite direction to Harlem. Eric is in shock and follows Sam and Frodo instead of heading to the water. Their paths to salvation diverge. Along with not being able to see, there is something else the creatures can’t do.
D² Rating ◼◼◼½☐
Trivia: Lupita Nyong’o won the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for what 2013 historical drama?
Answer below
Answer: 12 Years a Slave