Horror franchises really are indicative of the era in which we live. They spread things out, make changes, and diversify more than most other genres of entertainment. John Krasinski was busy bringing his chilling vision of imaginary friends, IF, to the big screen so he reached out to Pig director Michael Sarnoski. A spinoff film seemed like an iffy idea but hey, I’ve seen worse, so I was ready to give A Quiet Place: Day One a chance.
I’m so very happy I did. I really loved this movie.
Simple, human stories are what drive this franchise forward and the story, written by both Sarnoski and Krasinski, takes that focus and boils it down beyond family to focus one one singular individual. Lupita Nyong’o, a “when’s she bad” actress, shows up to tower over this sound-based apocalypse as Samira. Sam is in hospice care, desperate for just one more day in her beloved New York City and maybe even a slice from her favorite joint. When she agrees to join her nerdy friend and care nurse, Reuben (Alex Wolff), at a live performance she leaps at the opportunity. Was she aware that it was going to be Reuben’s nerdy marionette group? No. Was she aware that it would be the last normal event she’d ever attend? Also no.
What follows is an episodic and tense journey across the city to resolve grief, to come to terms with death, and to write some poetry as we scour the city for pizza. She’s joined by Henri (Djimon Honsou), who made his franchise debut in A Quiet Place: Part II, and eventually Eric (Stranger Things‘s Joseph Quinn). Oh, and she’s joined by her cat, Frodo, who gives perhaps the most incredible performance from an animal that I’ve seen in ages. Seriously, I would die for that cat.
Sarnoski chooses to go smaller with his entry. Krasinski’s first and second film grow from family drama to attempts at saving the world, but all Sam wants is some pizza. Eric? He just doesn’t want to die, a British law-school bro that’s been upended by recent events. The film spends zero time explaining the world to you and yanks its characters underneath the tumultuous seas of horror and adventure (and cat care) that doesn’t care what you remember from the rules of the previous films. It’s a tight, taught little monster that plays with its food as we worry for their lives.
I think it’s absolutely wonderful that they gave Nyong’o a story to really grapple with. She’s been one of our best performers for years now and hadn’t had a showcase to really display her talent for a few years. The Us actress is holding plenty back, perfect to play a character that’s in constant pain while trying to stay in survival mode even as her world crumbles around her. Joseph Quinn is a lovely match as a sweet boy that has nowhere to go and no one to rely on, he just doesn’t want to die. Their little journey from uncertain allies to genuine partners in this urban jungle wasteland is so heartwarming, despite the knowledge that Sam is dead one way or the other, and it built life into a script that was otherwise a mixture of intensity and nihilism.
Score work is done by Alexis Grapsas, whose previous work with Sarnoski on Pig was a highlight of that incredible film. Grapsas returns to work with the director to create something that I think feels far more human and grounded than the previous music from Marco Beltrami. Don’t get me wrong, I like those scores, but I think Grapsas has breathed less horror and more life into existence here and it’s to the benefit of the film. Jazz is very much a part of this film that is not as openly discussed and I think it’s to his credit that Grapsas has created something that feels so vibrant, so free, and so unrestrained that it feels perfectly in-line with ending the film by playing Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good.”
I had an great time with A Quiet Place: Day One. While not as frightening or big as the previous franchise entries I think it has a lot more heart and creates an intensity that gripped me to the end. I got to watch this thing in a packed house with a responsive, awesome audience and I think it’s so indicative of what movies can do. I’ve only ever seen each of these films in a theatre, where the sound design can really take effect, and what they do to audiences is just so lovely. It’s worth your time (also it’s only 100 minutes so it won’t even take up that much of the time).
A Quiet Place: Day One is currently playing in theaters.
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