JP Nunez
To prepare for the release of A Quiet Place: Day One, I revisited the previous two films in the franchise. I often do that when a new sequel or prequel comes out, but this time, I got a bit more out of these rewatches than I was expecting. They reminded me that A Quiet Place Part II isn’t just a narrative sequel to A Quiet Place. It’s also a thematic sequel, and when you watch the two movies back-to-back, they make for a striking and moving experience unlike almost anything else the horror genre has to offer.
See, the first film is all about parenthood, and in the sequel, the kids take the baton and come into their own. Together, these two movies form a beautiful meditation on what it truly means to raise a family, and I’d like to take some time to explore that idea. Unfortunately, I can’t cover both films in a single article, so I’ll have to split my analysis in two. In this piece, we’re going to take a deep dive into A Quiet Place, and a couple of weeks later, we’ll plunge into A Quiet Place Part II and see how it continues its predecessor’s story in just about the most thematically appropriate way possible.
The Primary Theme of A Quiet Place
I normally like to start my in-depth analyses by going over the plot of the movie I’m discussing, but I can’t really do that with A Quiet Place. This movie is more character-driven than plot-driven, so it’s tough to pick out a narrative thread that runs through the entire film. At best, we can say that it follows a family of four—Lee and Evelyn Abbott and their two kids, Regan and Marcus—as they try to survive in a post-apocalyptic landscape dominated by dangerous aliens who can hear a pin drop from a mile away.
But beyond that, the story kind of just meanders along until the final act, and it doesn’t really lend itself to summarization. So instead of recapping the plot, I want to begin by looking at a scene that succinctly expresses the primary theme of the film. Right before the big third-act confrontation between the Abbotts and one of the creatures, Evelyn and Lee find themselves alone in the house at night after a dangerously close encounter with the monster.
They’re safe for the moment, but they don’t know if their kids are okay. Regan and Marcus are outside somewhere, and Evelyn asks Lee if he knows where they are. He says he doesn’t, and after a bit of conversation, his wife says to him, “Who are we if we can’t protect them? Who are we? You have to protect them. Promise me you will protect them.” In response, the guy is too choked up to speak a word. With a tear running down his cheek, he just looks at his wife gravely and nods his head.
Now, in isolation, that conversation may not seem terribly important, but if we dig a bit deeper, we’ll see that it actually ties the entire movie together. For example, when A Quiet Place starts, the Abbotts have three kids. There’s Marcus and Regan, but they also have a younger son, Beau, who dies in the opening scene. Lee tries to save him but comes up short, and the specter of that tragic failure hangs over the entire movie.
And significantly, in the middle of the conversation we’re examining, Evelyn recalls that painful experience. She tells Lee that she could’ve prevented it from ever happening in the first place, and that memory is the reason she implores her husband to protect their remaining children.
On top of that, this scene also kicks off the final confrontation between the Abbotts and the alien creature that’s stalking them, and as we’ll soon see, that final confrontation is all about Lee and Evelyn keeping their kids safe. It’s basically an inversion of the opening scene, so the thematic arc of A Quiet Place is clear as day. The movie begins with the Abbotts failing to protect their children, and it ends with them succeeding.
So if there’s any doubt that Evelyn’s plea to her husband really is the primary theme of this film, we can put it to rest. These words are closely connected to both the beginning and the end of the movie, and they succinctly express the driving force behind this entire story. Like I said before, A Quiet Place is all about parenthood and parents’ duty to protect their children, and now that we’ve established the big picture, we can dive into some of the details and see exactly how the film embodies that theme.
Lee and Marcus
Let’s start by analyzing a key incident involving Lee and Marcus. At one point in A Quiet Place, Lee decides to take his son fishing, but it’s not just a fun father/son outing. He wants to teach the boy to provide for himself once his parents are gone, and at first, everything goes according to plan.
But towards the end of their trip, the pair come across an elderly man who basically commits suicide by screaming, and the minute this guy opens his mouth, Lee springs into action. He grabs his son and carries him away from the danger, and when the kid looks like he’s going to scream too, Lee covers his mouth to keep him quiet.
I don’t think I need to explain how this scene fits into the main theme of A Quiet Place, but in case anybody disagrees, let’s see how the movie itself describes Lee’s heroism. Before going into the woods with his father, Marcus tells his mother he’s afraid, but she gently explains to him that he needs to overcome that fear.
Most importantly for our purposes here, Evelyn assures the boy that his father will always protect him, and as luck would have it, Lee gets a chance to prove her right. When they encounter the elderly man who screams, Marcus’s biggest fear comes true. He and his father find themselves in mortal danger, but thanks to Lee, they both come out of the ordeal unscathed. He does exactly what he needs to do to keep his son safe, so he fulfills Evelyn’s prediction to a tee.
Lee and Regan
Next, let’s talk about Lee and Regan. As evident as Lee’s love for his son may be, his relationship with his daughter is hands down the heart and soul of A Quiet Place. See, Lee loves her unconditionally, but Regan thinks he hates her. Her younger brother, Beau, died because a toy she gave him made a noise, so she believes that her father blames her for the kid’s death.
But he obviously doesn’t, and at the end of the movie, he gets a chance to prove it. After Evelyn implores him to protect their kids, he eventually finds them, and he sees that they’re being attacked by one of the monsters. Unfortunately, Lee knows he can’t physically push the creature away from them, but there is one thing he can do to keep the children safe.
He looks at his daughter and signs, “I love you. I have always loved you,” and then he screams. When the creature hears him, it immediately forgets about the two kids, and it goes after Lee instead. That brief reprieve allows Regan and Marcus to get away, but sadly, Lee doesn’t make it. He sacrifices his own life so his kids might have a chance, and he proves without a doubt that he really does love his daughter.
Just describing the moment gives you a sense of how beautiful it is, but you really need to see it to get the full effect. Everything about this scene, from the acting to the music to the camerawork, comes together to make you genuinely feel Lee’s love for Regan, so it’s truly one of the most moving moments in horror history.
Evelyn and the Kids
Last but not least, we have to touch on Evelyn’s role in A Quiet Place. Admittedly, the film focuses far more on Lee than on his wife, and understandably so. It was made by a man who, as he himself put it, “was already in a state of terror about whether or not I was a good enough father,” but don’t let that fool you. He understands that women can be just as brave as men when their children are in danger, so A Quiet Place gives Evelyn some time to shine as well.
For instance, there’s a scene where she’s alone in the basement with her newborn baby, and one of the monsters finds its way down there. In a situation like that, a lot of people would probably just run away and hide, but not Evelyn. She has a child to protect, and she puts her life on the line just like Lee will later on. She gets up and immediately grabs the baby, and when the monster starts to creep towards her, she doesn’t let go. Instead, she simply holds her child tight and slowly backs away to a safe place where the creature won’t be able to find them.
That scene showcases some genuine nerves of steel, but if you ask me, Evelyn’s coolest moment in A Quiet Place comes at the very end. After Lee has sacrificed himself, she goes to her late husband’s workspace with her two kids, and the alien makes its way down there as well. Regan manages to weaken the monster with a high-pitched sound, but she can’t quite finish it off. The thing gets up and makes one last-ditch effort to attack the girl, but before it can reach its intended prey, Evelyn gets in its way and shoots it with a shotgun.
It’s a pretty badass scene, and it shows without a doubt that Lee isn’t the only parent in this family who will do whatever it takes to protect these kids. Granted, Evelyn doesn’t give her life like her husband does, but she makes it very clear that she will if she has to. She puts herself in very real danger multiple times, and her valor cements A Quiet Place as possibly the ultimate parenting experience in the horror genre. This movie is an amazing meditation on the love parents (both fathers and mothers!) should have for their children, and if you have a heart, it’s tough not to be at least a little moved by the sacrifices Lee and Evelyn are willing to make to keep their kids safe.
