Get Out and A Quiet Place: The New Social Thrillers (PART 3)

CHILDREN’S SAFETY, INTERNET MONSTERS, FEMINIST EMPOWERMENT

 

Last week I went to a theater to see John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place (2018) so I could have that communal experience Peele talks about and because it was doing so well critically and financially. Also, because after Puerto Rico experienced a post-Apocalyptic situation during the 2017 hurricane season, I’m now interested in seeing if filmmakers get it right. A Quiet Place does a pretty good job, except for the electricity and running water, but they hit it on the nail with the emphasis on lack of safety.

 

In fact, Emily Blunt says in an interview title ‘A Quiet Place’ leads box office, as horror keeps making noise that the film is about the difficulty of keeping our children safe. There is a scene that in particular explodes this theme, that is, when the little boy Beau, who innocently is attracted to a toy space shuttle, becomes a target of the “monsters.”

 

A Quiet Place is a “social thriller” because it metaphorically reflects not only the issue of children’s lack of safety in our schools but another very pressing issue: If you “speak” on any type of social media, in effect, you put yourself in danger of some “electronic-big-eared-big-brother-troll-monster” coming out of their “digital darkness” to “pounce” on you and your private information.

 

Finally, A Quiet Place is a film about women’s empowerment, but I won’t say anymore in case you have not watched the film yet. Let’s just say, the ending of A Quiet Place echoes Rod’s final line in Get Out: “We handle shit. That’s what we do. Consider this situation fuckin’ handled.”

 

Don’t forget to check out the recent re-release of Night of the Living Dead on The Criterion Collection and see all of Jordan Peel’s CNN interview at: ‘Get Out’ director: My fear has become my power.