The year was 1995. It was a sweltering summer day in our
small town, which was celebrating its annual peach festival. In the middle of
the day, 15-year-old me and probably half the town were seeking sanctuary in
the air-conditioned theater. It was so packed that people were standing in the
back (probably against fire code, but no one cared).
The movie was Apollo 13. Not one of the biggest blockbusters
in history, but I will never forget the experience of watching it in that
packed theater. Because in those moments when those astronauts were re-entering
Earth’s orbit and had lost communication with NASA, we all waited with baited
breath. When the voice finally sounded over their radio, the entire theater
burst into thunderous cheers.
It was unlike anything I had ever experienced in a movie
theater. To me, those unique shared moments of an audience are what makes
certain films cement in our memories forever.
You know what I’m talking about.
Waiting in line at midnight to see The Phantom Menace, and
the entire crowd screaming when the scrolling words and music played. A brand-new
Star Wars movie!
Watching the Blair Witch Project, which launched the whole “found
footage” style of movies, and some people not knowing yet that it wasn’t real.
(Look, I was 18 and my small town didn’t have great internet.)
I haven’t felt that special theater viewing feeling in a
long time, until I went to see A Quiet Place a few weeks ago. For those of you
who haven’t seen it yet, it’s set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans are
hunted by monsters that can only detect you through sound.
Most of the film is completely silent. The main family,
which already knew sign language for their deaf daughter, has built their
entire world about remaining as quiet as possible. The hushed mood of the movie,
which sent anyone into a panic whenever even the smallest sound was made,
carried into the viewers in the audience.
Whenever someone crinkled their snack wrappers or munched on
popcorn, all the others would jump and treat that person to a glare.
Because the film was so quiet, you felt the terror the
family felt at each noise. You saw sound hazards that could be made in every
new scene. Would that hose break and water noise fill the air? An exposed nail –
you know someone is going to step on it ad scream. And how in the world are
they going to keep their new baby quiet?
With each moment, you sink more and more into the movie’s
world and it is brilliant.
A Quiet Place is a good movie for many reasons. John
Krasinski and Emily Blunt knocked it out of the park with their acting. And I
didn’t know ahead of time that John actually directed the movie. The kids were
phenomenal, and the themes of hope, survival, family and parenting were beautifully
done.
But it was the feeling of comradery I had with complete
strangers when we walked out of the dark theater into the noisy hubbub of the
theater lobby that makes this film a great experience. We felt like we had
survived…something…together.
A Quiet Place will be out of the theaters soon, and you can
watch it when it’s available at home. But if you have the chance, I hope
instead you take the time to be afraid of noise with a room full of strangers.
