A Quiet Place: Day One benefits from the two movies that came before it while proudly standing on its own. This movie isn’t here to give you answers about the aliens like I know a lot of people wanted. It’s also not here to tell a sweeping story about the collapse of New York City despite the trailer. Instead it’s a story about who you choose to be in the face of the end. And for Lupita Nyong’o’s Sam, she’s not just facing the end of the world due to an alien invasion. She’s also facing the end due to a terminal illness, turning this story into something heartbreaking but also riveting to watch.
Sam as a character is angry. Rightfully so as well. Too often we don’t get to see women, especially women of color, being in positions where they can express their anger and be unapologetic about it. And that’s what we see with Sam. She’s angry that she’s sick, doesn’t have the support of her father because he has also passed, and that she’s stuck in this hospice. When the aliens come, that’s the least of her problems. If anything, the aliens strip away so many of the problems of living in this day and age and help her focus on what she wants to do at the end of her life.
Nyong’o, like the other actors of this franchise, does a whole lot with a few words. To be part of the A Quiet Place franchise is to be able to emote well because you can’t make noise. Not just with your face either. We’re talking about body, tone, and just the eyes. And even though I had Sam only for one movie, Nyong’o gave me enough of this character that I was infinitely curious about who she was in comparison to all the other characters in this franchise. Because she was angry, the first thing that drew me into her character, but she was also kind, understanding, and patient. And she did that all while not losing herself or taking a step off this journey that she had found herself on.
One of the people that Sam was kind, understanding, and patient with was Eric, played by Joseph Quinn. After watching the movie, I did what every movie watcher does: I checked social media. And one of the things that I kept seeing was how much of a “wimp” Eric was and how they wanted him to stand up and “do something.” I disagree. I really liked that Eric was freaking out but also trying to ground himself and make sure he didn’t endanger Sam’s life. He felt raw, human, and scared like anybody else would be. I loved every moment that he and Sam shared because it felt like they understood each other on a cosmic level and had strengths that the other lacked, making them super complementary to each other. Don’t even get me started on the way that Quinn and Nyong’o looked at each other and shared a depth of emotion that I haven’t felt in a movie in ages.
That’s why I think A Quiet Place: Day One is a love story. Maybe it’s not romantic. But even then it could be platonic love. A love grounded in two people in completely different stages of their lives, still going to bat for each other. And you could see that in the way that Sam helped Eric when his anxiety reared its ugly head, when Eric went to get Sam medicine, and even when they spent those lovely moments on the stage pretending like they were at a magic show with an audience around them. They found peace with each other. They also chose each other. And I think that is more powerful than anything. Choice. In the middle of all this monster chaos, choice led them to each other and kept them together. I would even say that this is a love story with themselves as characters, where they were able to unleash what they felt, their desires, and the people they wanted to be.
A Quiet Place: Day One solidifies itself as a rare sequel that works because it remembers that human connection and choice is the reason why we loved the first two movies. John Krasinski’s character in the first movie chose to sacrifice himself for his children. Emily Blunt’s character chose to step out into an unfamiliar world to give herself and her children the best chance. Nyong’o’s Sam chose to open herself up to others, the life that she was leaving behind, and the city that she loved. And Eric chose to stay and be there for someone else when he could’ve just left. This isn’t a story about aliens or how they got here. None of that matters in the long run. And if A Quiet Place: Day One can remember this core message of the franchise, I’m excited to see what they do next. Because other countries have been hit by this mysterious alien and I would love to see how they dealt with it too.
A Quiet Place: Day One is now available in theaters.
