Starring Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn, A Quiet Place: Day One turns back the clock on the story that began when A Quiet Place was released in cinemas in 2018. The story follows Lupita’s and Joseph’s characters in New York as we get to see what it was like when the aliens arrived on Earth on that fateful day.
A Quiet Place: Day One – It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day
A Quiet Place: Day One is a brilliant film, one of the best films of the year for me. The story of the film is simplistic but highly effective. Sam (Nyong’o) is a cancer patient. On this devastating day, she finds herself in the city on a day out. When all hell breaks loose she understands what is important in her life and decides that she wants a pizza. She sees the horror unfolding around her and knows she isn’t long for the world either way and looks for the simple pleasure, of a slice of New York pizza. Along the way, she and her cat Frodo, an awesome name, meet several interesting individuals all trying to stay alive.
One such individual is Eric ( Quinn) who almost immediately attaches himself to her. He’s in an incredibly fragile state and Sam has to become his guardian in a sense. It’s a beautiful relationship that grows and evolves in such an emotional fashion that I found it impressive. The best part of this film is the character moments. And a lot has to be told through expressions, much like previous entries. Quinn and Nyong’o are stellar, both vulnerable and relatable in their own unique ways. Sam is trying to do this journey all by herself even though she is getting progressively weaker as the film goes on. It also doesn’t help that she goes out of her way to help those around her, even if she says she doesn’t want to.
With Sam, he’s a man who has to overcome a lot, he has regular panic attacks during the film but learns to overcome them when it matters. There’s one scene with him and the aliens that was quite stressful and Quinn sells it fantastically.
Speaking of the aliens, A Quiet Place: Day One showcases them in a fascinating fashion. While previous entries had them out in the country, this film sees them in a senseless populated environment and it’s as chaotic as you can imagine. Seeing the aliens use the skyscrapers as vaulting points as they stalk their prey is genuinely unnerving.
The best part of A Quiet Place: Day One for me though are the characters and the intimate moments between them. There are several emotional exchanges within this story that I absolutely loved, in particular, a scene between Sam and Eric in her apartment.
A Quiet Place: Day One is a phenomenal film. It is emotional, thrilling and cements this series is a must-watch.
Stay tuned to Scannain for more news, reviews and interviews.