A Quiet Place: Day One

A Quiet Place: Day One takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where Earth has been invaded by extraterrestrial creatures that have a peculiar way of hunting: they can detect sound. The day one refers to the first day of this invasion which renders itself clear in a series of disorienting visuals showing chaos and panic that accompanied this alien invasion. Nelley 'Nell' Crain, more commonly referred to as Young Regan, is the main protagonist we are introduced to during her childhood. Born just before the invasion of the aliens, Nell, is a 9-year-old girl who is the youngest member of a particular family in the suburban houses of New York. Before the aliens’ descent on the city, Nell, along with her brothers, JJ and Marcus, experience their last moments of carefree days before the outbreak. Following the apocalypse, her parents, Evelyn and Lee, find it essential to keep their loudness within limits so that none of the creatures can detect them. The importance of this is repeatedly stressed. Throughout the movie, Nell, as she is known in her childhood, learns she has to stay acutely attuned to any form of external sounds within her surroundings so as not to draw the alien hunting creatures towards their direction. In a series of intense chase scenes, involving loud items such as fire sirens, flashlights, and breaking glass, it becomes clear that every precaution is being taken by Evelyn and Lee to raise the kids in such trying conditions. Both Evelyn and Lee have to use their resourcefulness to teach the kids what kinds of sounds can be left in without the alien’s detection. Savvy lessons from her parents eventually become clear when the community is repeatedly hit by sudden invasions of these creatures from all sides, giving them ample reason to adhere to these heightened moments of vigilance which were integral to their particular kind of life following the apocalypse. More often than not, it becomes a series of tragic moments for the characters which are repeatedly tested for their resolve following each traumatic scene with its consequences. It is at such times that Lee attempts to guide Nell and her brothers through shared stories and memories about their current situations when the once bright city existed in its earlier glory before the fall occurred. Said memories and lessons, learned overtime from Evelyn, Lee, and later from the time that passes become critical components as Lee continues fighting to teach his family the importance of stealth in a trying time. They develop creative techniques such as executing hand signals, reading body language and the numerous forms of sign language in order to keep their behavior subtle so that it remains unseen by these hunting creatures. As death and chaos are at everyone’s doorstep with each new sound emitted either on purpose or by accident, a bond between Nell and her family are incredibly developed. They work as one team in their common fight for survival. Together, they endure these unpredictable moments that frequently take for granted many life-threatening dangers lurking their lives each step of the way. Death and the impact it has upon families which become one of the recurring ideas running throughout A Quiet Place and Day one gives off the impression of a more darker world with every family dealing a near tragic loss in their attempts for survival.