A Quiet Place Day One: Hollywood and the Culture of Death
A Quiet Place prequel rejects the message that made the original great.
By Liliana Zylstra
The 2018 thriller A Quiet Place follows a family struggling to survive in a dystopian world overrun by alien creatures who attack anything that makes a sound. Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt) and Lee Abbott (John Krasinski) will stop at nothing to protect their children.
The real-life husband and wife portray a couple who are devoted to one another and live lives marked by self-sacrifice. Evelyn endures a stressful pregnancy and painful childbirth. Despite this, she still chooses to carry her son despite the danger and vulnerability of her circumstances. The story ends with Lee heroically sacrificing his own life to save two of their children. He dies reassuring his daughter of his love for her.
The 2020 sequel, A Quiet Place Part II, explores similar themes of familial love, heroism, and hope for the future, as the remaining Abbott family members continue fighting for their own lives and the lives of others. The newest installment in the apocalyptic universe, however, elevates an opposing worldview, questioning the premise that human life has inherent value.
Flipping the Script
A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) offers a new take on the message in the first two films. The prequel is set in New York City during the initial arrival of the extraterrestrial creatures. The film follows two characters navigating the chaos of the invasion. Sam, (Lupita Nyong’o) a former hospice patient with an unidentified terminal illness and Eric, (Joseph Quinn) an English law student.
While the story is entertaining and occasionally meaningful, the film’s most memorable scene is its last. After helping Eric and her cat, Frodo, escape Manhattan on a boat, Sam walks through the deserted city listening to her headphones. Knowing how the aliens respond to sound, she yanks out the headphone cord, blaring music into the silence. We see one of the creatures appear behind her and are left to assume that she has met her end.
Although Sam’s choice to end her life may be understandable given her situation, there is no denying that this scene depicts a suicide. What is more troubling is the way the film appears to glorify the act. The stylistic choices of music and editing frame Sam’s decision as a triumphant celebration of her agency. This starkly contrasts with the original A Quiet Place film which ends with a very different type of death. While Sam made a choice out of self-interest, Lee’s choice is self-sacrificial. She is motivated by a desire to maintain control over her experiences and to minimize her suffering. He is motivated by love for his children. She treats human life as if it can be discarded based on circumstances. He recognizes that life is worth fighting for. (READ MORE: “You Don’t Let Disabled People Die:” The Story of Indy Gregory)
Why It Matters
Films have the power to reflect, influence, and reinforce societal beliefs. As assisted suicide gains acceptance in the United States and around the world, on screen depictions reveal a changing cultural conscience. Popular films like Million Dollar Baby (2004) and Me Before You (2016) drew criticism from disability rights activists for glorifying the assisted suicide of a disabled character.
Assisted suicide is legal in eleven states and the District of Columbia. Pending bills in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New York may cause that number to grow. The most disturbing example of assisted suicide today is Canada’s medical assistance in dying program. The MAID program will become available to patients whose only condition is mental illness. The truth is, once a society accepts that disability, disease, or even a terminal diagnosis justifies allowing a person to end their life, it becomes increasingly challenging to determine which lives are still worth protecting. (READ MORE: Politics and Personhood: The IVF Challenge)
While the original A Quiet Place movie was a refreshing and rare celebration of family, sacrificial love, and the value of human life, the prequel turns these values on their head to endorse a bleak worldview with dangerous implications.
About the Author
Liliana Zylstra is a senior communication arts major at Grove City College and a Marketing Fellow for the Institute for Faith and Freedom. She has worked as a communications intern and political canvasser for SBA Pro-Life America. Lily has written for CheckPoint News, The American Spectator, The College Fix, and other outlets.
During the summer of 2024, Liliana worked with Protect Life Michigan. There, she worked as part of a multi-layered, data-driven, persuasion and activism campaign to reduce public support for abortion in Michigan. She hopes to continue shaping communication strategy for the pro-life movement after graduation.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the writer alone. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grove City College, the Institute for Faith and Freedom, or their affiliates.
Cover Image: Photo by Nathan DeFiesta on Unsplash (cropped)