- A Quiet Place
- Directed by John Krasinski
- Written by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods and John Krasinski
- Starring Emily Blunt and John Krasinski
- Classification PG; 90 minutes
You’re so tense you’re almost nauseous, but it’s fun – that’s the place this smart new thriller will put you in. In the near future, an adorable family led by Emily Blunt, John Krasinski and Millicent Simmonds (so lovely in Wonderstruck) tiptoe through a deserted town. We soon learn why: Aliens who hunt by sound have decimated Earth. Only the silent survive.
Read more: The quiet success of John Krasinski
As Krasinski, who also co-wrote the script with Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, drills down into the details of how the family stays muffled, lovely things rise up: the sounds of wind and water, how much people say with their eyes, the power of communication and the keenness of its loss. And when every creaky floorboard and dropped dish can do you in, the dangers don’t have to be fantastical – they’re all too real. A single exposed nail on a stairway may be the scariest thing you’ll see in a cinema this year. And Blunt proves once again what a mesmerizing actress she is, without saying a word.