In preparation for the publication of A quiet place: day oneI rewatched the previous two films in the series. I often do this when a new sequel or prequel comes out, but this time I got a little more out of these rewatches than I expected. They reminded me that A quiet place part II is not just a narrative continuation of A quiet place. It is also a thematic sequel, and watching the two films back to back creates an impressive and moving experience that the horror genre rarely has to offer.
See, the first film is about parenthood, and in the sequel, the kids take up the baton and come into their own. Together, these two films form a beautiful meditation on what it really means to start a family, and I want 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 into two parts. In this article, we’ll dive deep into A quiet placeand a few weeks later we plunge into A quiet place part II and see how it continues the story of its predecessor in the most thematically appropriate way possible.
The main theme of A quiet place
I usually like to start my in-depth analyses by going through the plot of the film I am reviewing, but I can’t really do that with A quiet place. This film is driven by characters rather than plot, so it’s difficult to discern a narrative thread running through the entire film. At best, we can say it follows a family of four – Lee and Evelyn Abbott and their two children, Regan and Marcus – as they try to survive in a post-apocalyptic landscape ruled by dangerous aliens who can hear a pin drop from a mile away.
But beyond that, the story just meanders along until the final act and isn’t really summarizable. So rather than summarize the plot, I’d like to first look at a scene that succinctly expresses the main theme of the film. Just before the big confrontation between the Abbotts and one of the creatures in the third act, Evelyn and Lee find themselves alone in the house at night after a dangerously close encounter with the monster.
For now, they are safe, but they don’t know if their children are OK. Regan and Marcus are out somewhere and Evelyn asks Lee if he knows where they are. He says he doesn’t know, and after a while 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 man is too moved to say a word. A tear runs down his cheek, he just looks seriously at his wife and nods his head.
On its own, this conversation may not seem particularly important, but if we dig a little deeper, we will see that it actually ties the entire film together. For example, when A quiet place Initially, the Abbotts have three children. 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 fails, and the specter of that tragic failure looms over the entire film.
And tellingly, in the middle of the conversation we’re examining, Evelyn remembers this painful experience. She tells Lee she could have prevented it from happening in the first place, and this memory is the reason she begs her husband to protect her remaining children.
In addition, this scene also sets up the final confrontation between the Abbotts and the alien creature that is pursuing them, and as we will soon see, this final confrontation is about how Lee and Evelyn protect their children. It is basically a reversal of the opening scene, so the thematic arc of A quiet place is clear as day. The film begins with the Abbotts failing to protect their children and ends with them succeeding.
So if there is any doubt that Evelyn’s plea to her husband is really the main theme of this film, we can put it to rest. These words are closely connected to the beginning and end of the film and sum up the driving force behind this whole story. As I said, A quiet place is all about parenthood and the duty of parents to protect their children. Now that we’ve looked at the big picture, let’s take a closer look at some of the details and find out how the film embodies this theme.
Lee and Marcus
Let us begin by analyzing an important incident involving Lee and Marcus. At one point in A quiet placeLee decides to go fishing with his son, but it’s not just a fun father-son outing. He wants to teach the boy how to take care of himself when his parents are gone, and at first everything goes according to plan.
But towards the end of their journey, the two encounter an elderly man who is essentially committing suicide by screaming, and as soon as the man opens his mouth, Lee springs into action. He grabs his son and carries him out of harm’s way, and when it looks like the boy is about to scream too, Lee puts his hand over his mouth to silence him.
I don’t think I need to explain how this scene fits into the main theme of A quiet placebut in case anyone disagrees, let’s look at how the movie itself describes Lee’s heroism. Before going into the woods with his father, Marcus tells his mother that he is afraid, but she gently explains to him that he must 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 the chance to prove she’s right. When they encounter the screaming old man, Marcus’s greatest fear is realized. He and his father are in mortal danger, but thanks to Lee, both emerge from the ordeal unscathed. He does exactly what he has to do to protect his son, fulfilling Evelyn’s prediction to the letter.
Lee and Regan
Next we talk about Lee and Regan. As obvious as Lee’s love for his son may be, his relationship with his daughter is undoubtedly 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 thinks her father blames her for the boy’s death.
But he clearly doesn’t, and at the end of the film he gets the chance to prove it. After Evelyn begs him to protect her children, he finally finds them and sees them 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 protect the children.
He looks at his daughter and gestures, “I love you. I’ve always loved you,” and then he screams. When the creature hears him, it immediately forgets the two children and goes in search of Lee instead. This brief reprieve allows Regan and Marcus to escape, but unfortunately Lee doesn’t make it. He sacrifices his own life so that his children have a chance, proving beyond doubt that he really loves his daughter.
Just the description of the moment gives you a sense of how beautiful it is, but you have to actually see it to feel the full impact. Everything about this scene, from the acting to the music to the camera work, comes together to really make you feel Lee’s love for Regan, it is truly one of the most moving moments in horror history.
Evelyn and the children
Last but not least, we must consider Evelyn’s role in A quiet placeAdmittedly, the film focuses much more on Lee than on his wife, and that is understandable. It was made by a man who, like he himself has it“was already in a state of fear about whether I was a good father or not,” 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 also gives Evelyn some time to shine.
For example, there is a scene where she is alone in the basement with her newborn baby and one of the monsters finds its way in. In such a situation, many people would probably just run away and hide, but not Evelyn. She has a child to protect and is risking her life, just like Lee will later do. She stands up and immediately grabs the baby, and when the monster starts creeping towards her, she doesn’t let go. Instead, she just holds her child and slowly walks back to a safe place where the monster can’t find it.
This scene shows real nerves of steel, but if you ask me, Evelyn’s coolest moment in A quiet place comes at the very end. After Lee sacrifices herself, she goes to her late husband’s workplace with her two children, and the alien makes his way there too. 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 attempt 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 tough scene and it shows without a doubt that Lee isn’t the only parent in this family who will do anything to protect these children. 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 on several occasions and her bravery solidifies A quiet place as possibly the ultimate parenting experience in the horror genre. This film is an amazing meditation on the love that parents (both fathers and mothers!) should feel for their children, and if you have a heart, it’s hard not to be at least a little moved by the sacrifices Lee and Evelyn are willing to make to protect their children.
