Directed by Michael Sarnoski (Pig (2021); Fight Night Legacy (tv series, 2012)) and starring Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave (2013); Black Panther (2018); Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things (tv series, 2022); Overlord (2018); Dickensian (tv series, 2015-2016)) and Alex Wolff (Stella's Last Weekend (2018), Patriots Day (2016), Hereditary (2018), Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)).
Thriller/Horror; 93 mins; 16+
A prequel to John Krasinski's A Quiet Place (2018) and its 2020 sequel; here the story is set around Samira (Lupita Nyong'o), a cancer patient at a hospice outside New York City, over a period of a few days.
Eric (Joseph Quinn) also works at the hospice and organises an outing into the city; he encourages Samira to come along which she does on condition that they get pizza afterwards on the way home...
During the performance, Samira wanders off and the next thing that happens is an explosion that rips the theatre apart. The aliens have invaded and they quickly realise two things: they react to noise and they cannot swim.
All the while being terrorised, they get to see the creatures up close, and sometimes very uncomfortable... Overhead, the authorities, presumably the military, encourage the residents to make their way to one of the piers to get a boat to safety.
Alone with just her therapy cat for company, she comes across Reuben (Alex Wolff) who has his own issues, and together they provide each other with mutual support.
A gripping thriller, with a sci-fi and horror component which presents a convincing back story to the 2018 and 2020 films; however, it has a different feel to it than John Krasinski's original(s), with different characters and a completely alternate (city) setting.
Currently screening in Luxembourg at Kinepolis.
