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A quiet life — film review.

Claudio Cupellini changes register after his 2007 debut comedy “Chocolate Lessons” with “A Quiet Life,” a polished story about a seemingly peaceful man whose violent past comes back to haunt him.

By Natasha Senjanovic

Natasha Senjanovic

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Lead actor Toni Servillo (“Il Divo”), who is cranking out good or great films at an incredible rate, is always a guarantee of quality. At home he’s a bankable star with both commercial and art film audiences. Internationally, “A Quiet Life” can expect a quietly solid life on art-house circuits.

Diego (Marco D’Amore) and Edoardo (Francesco Di Leva) are coked-up hitmen from Naples on their way to a job in Wiesbaden, Germany, when Diego suggests they hole up beforehand with a relative of his, Rosario (Toni Servillo). Rosario is an Italian chef who runs a restaurant and hotel with his German wife Renate (Juliane Kohler, who played Eva Braun in Oliver Hischbiegel’s “Downfall”) and their young son (Leonardo Sprengler) in the countryside.

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Rosario is immediately worried to see the young men, but Diego assures him everything is fine: He and Edoardo are juts olive oil salesman passing through. The man displays tenderness towards Diego that belies a deeper connection, and raises Edoardo’s suspicions as to the real identity of Rosario, who starts to crack as his hard-earned tranquility is threatened.

Cupellini and cinematographer Gergely Poharnok use a cold, rainy palate to create the subdued and orderly atmosphere in which Rosario has found tenuous peace. This, of course, means the swaggering Edoardo and Diego stick out like sore thumbs.

D’Amore and Di Leva are perfectly cast. The latter especially exudes a Neanderthal, hair-trigger temper and a perverse sense of humor that are convincingly dangerous from the start.

Servillo is great, as always, and it’s nice to seem him play a character with a bit more meekness than the usual tough guys he has down pat. Kohler isn’t given much to do, but Alice Dwyer consistently stands out as an angelic-looking hotel maid who gets it on with Edoardo.

Award-winning composer Teho Teardo’s (“Il Divo,” “Gorbaciof”) excellent electronic score is woven seamlessly into the mounting suspense of the film’s first, and best, two acts. But with a third of the film to go, Cupellini leaves too much time in between the story’s major revelation and the finale and cannot maintain the film’s fine-tuned tension as events spiral dramatically out of control.

Venue: Rome International Film Festival (Competition) Production companies: Acaba Produzioni, RAI Cinema Cast: Toni Servillo, Marco D’Amore, Francesco Di Leva, Juliane Kohler, Leonardo Sprengler, Alice Dwyer, Maurizio Donadoni, Giovanni Ludeno Director: Claudio Cupellini Screenwriters: Filippo Gravino, Guido Iuculano, Claudio Cupellini Producer: Fabrizio Mosca Director of photography: Gergely Poharnok Production designer: Erwin Prib Music: Teho Teardo Costume designer: Mariano Tufano Editor: Giuseppe Trepiccione Sales: Beta Cinema No rating, 103 minutes

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Review: a quiet life.

A Quiet Life an immersive look at a marked man’s nervous breakdown.

Claudio Cupellini’s A Quiet Life works best if you think of it as a divergent alternative scenario for Toni Servillo’s character in The Consequences of Love . Servillo plays Rosario, a gangster that flees to Germany so that he can leave his past life behind him and start over again. The idea of self-imposed exile is central to all of Paolo Sorrentino’s films, but a unique parallel between The Consequences of Love and A Quiet Life exists, since Servillo’s character in the former chooses exile under the watchful eyes of his captors instead of exile abroad like Rosario does.

In A Quiet Life , Rosario’s already remarried, has a new child, and started a new business. Now he fears that if his past resurfaces, his old personality will too. When two young Italians visit him at his gourmet restaurant-cum-hotel, Rosario understandably panics, knowing that he’s going to have to either stand his ground and die or flee again. Cupellini’s antihero is in that way more identifiably human than Sorrentino’s calculating loner. But that doesn’t make Rosario’s story more compelling.

Both A Quiet Life and The Consequences of Love are about predestined premature deaths. Rosario knows that his current life is at an end, but he doesn’t know why. His fury at Diego (Marco D’Amore) and Edoardo’s (Francesco Di Leva) sudden intrusion into his life cannot be contained in spite of his better efforts and soon, Renate (Juliane Köhler), Rosario’s wife, begins to suspect something’s up. Unfortunately, since Copellini’s story is too contrived for its own good, Renat’s first thought is that Rosario has cheated on her again, a thought that he waves away as if it were trivial. His mind is so fixated on figuring out if he can cheat death that he barely even registers her concerns. In his moments of weakness, Rosario flies to protect his son Mathias (Leonardo Sprengler) before his wife, one of a handful of ways that Cupellini reflects Rosrio’s fixation with preserving the future of his new life (the most tacky representation of this is the way that Rosario is shown to put mercury-studded nails into trees in his hotel’s backyard so that they will die and he can put up a biergarten where they’re still standing).

But apart from a couple of other superfluous and underdeveloped metaphors for Rosario’s urge to kill his past in order to make his new life thrive, A Quiet Life is a mostly riveting character study. Servillo’s performance is ferocious even during a pivotal scene where he makes a series of contorted grimaces to show how deeply conflicted he is about Diego and Edoardo eating at the same table as his family. He doesn’t need to work as hard as Cupellini makes him to look frantic. But that same go-for-broke intensity off pushes his performance over the edge from good to great, making A Quiet Life an immersive look at a marked man’s nervous breakdown.

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A Quiet Life

A psychological thriller of unusual depth, "A Quiet Life" reps a significant leap forward for sophomore helmer Claudio Cupellini ("Lessons in Chocolate").

By Jay Weissberg

Jay Weissberg

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A psychological thriller of unusual depth, “A Quiet Life” reps a significant leap forward for sophomore helmer Claudio Cupellini (“Lessons in Chocolate”), revealing a level of stylistic control and narrative force that should catapult him onto the list of Italo directors to watch. A rare international co-production that feels organically right, the pic boasts the considerable thesping talent of Toni Servillo as a marked man hiding from his mob past. Ending things 15 minutes before the finale would pack more punch, but even as is, “Life” is capable of a healthy existence on Euro screens.

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Italo B.O. has been respectable, with nearly $1.2 million over two weeks, and a Stateside run isn’t unthinkable if groundwork is laid via Italian-focused fests. Servillo’s growing recognition internationally should help, as will the world’s unquenchable thirst for intelligent Mafia/Camorra tales.

Popular on Variety

In the quiet forests near Wiesbaden, Germany, Rosario (Servillo) runs a restaurant-hotel with his German wife, Renate (Juliane Koehler). A memorable intro, featuring Rosario in closeup as he’s about to shoot a wild boar, sets an unsettling tone whose ambiguity is nicely in keeping with Rosario’s character. Out of the blue, two young Italians show up, Edoardo (Francesco Di Leva) and Diego (Marco D’Amore); a troubled Rosario offers them lodging without providing Renate with much explanation.

The Italo duo, sporting thick Neapolitan accents, are an incongruous presence in this Teutonic landscape; they were introduced earlier with Edoardo snorting coke and the two listening to news about the garbage crisis in Naples — a sure sign of Camorra involvement. It’s clear Rosario and Diego have a connection, though Rosario has been in Germany for 12 years, and his growing warmth toward the younger man is met with determined iciness.

Auds should be able to guess fairly soon the source of Diego’s resistance: Rosario is his father, having escaped a mob death-sentence in Naples years earlier by fleeing and changing identities. The family business, however, hasn’t changed, and Diego’s in town with Edoardo, the son of Rosario’s nemesis, to take out a German contractor about to undercut the Camorra’s garbage disposal concerns. The longer they stay at the hotel, the more Rosario wants to reconnect with his long-abandoned son, but underneath the warmth remains the wariness of a fugitive willing to do anything to survive.

Part of the pic’s success lies in the way Cupellini balances contrasting concepts: Family offers both security and betrayal, and a sylvan setting can’t supply the kind of shelter needed by those attempting to escape the past. Until the unfortunate last quarter-hour, when character consistency is pushed to an unsatisfactory degree, “A Quiet Life” is full of subtle modulations and terrific little character details; only Rosario’s relationship with Renate feels underwritten.

As usual, Servillo uses a distinctive physicality to get into his role; Rosario frequently puts his hand on his back, as if he’s in mild chronic pain. It may not be a clear statement, but it makes the character come alive, helping to add different levels of reality to a complex figure. D’Amore, in his film debut, is memorable as the abandoned son mistrustful of his father’s attempts at rapprochement yet yearning for paternal love; Di Leva, too is a standout in a role that could easily have been just another wiry junior mobster.

The choice of Hungarian d.p. Gergely Poharnok (“Hukkle,” “Taxidermia”) was inspired, as the talented lenser provides elegant yet chilly (and chilling) visuals that expertly play with setting characters together and apart. Editing is smooth and satisfying, and as usual, Teho Teardo, one of the best Italo composers, has an ear for restrained music that imparts the right amount of counterpoint to what’s onscreen.

Italy-Germany-France

• Production: An 01 Distribution release of an Acaba Produzioni, Rai Cinema presentation of an Acaba Produzioni, EOS Entertainment, Babe Films production, in collaboration with Rai Cinema, with the participation of Canal Plus, CineCinema. (International sales: Beta Film, Munich.) Produced by Fabrizio Mosca. Co-producers, Christer von Lindequist, Fabio Conversi. Directed by Claudio Cupellini. Screenplay, Filippo Gravino, Guido Iuculano, Cupellini.
• Crew: Camera (color), Gergely Poharnok; editor, Giuseppe Trepiccione; music, Teho Teardo; production designer, Erwin Prib; costume designer, Mariano Tufano; sound (Dolby SRD), Michael Busch, Giuseppe D'Amato; assistant director, Lorenzo Grasso; casting, Fabiola Banzi. Reviewed at Rome Film Festival (competing), Oct. 31, 2010. Running time: 103 MIN.
• With: With: Toni Servillo, Marco D'Amore, Francesco Di Leva, Juliane Koehler, Leonardo Sprengler, Alice Dwyer, Maurizio Donadoni, Giovanni Ludeno. (Italian, German dialogue)

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A Quiet Life Reviews

Claudio Cupellini's A Quiet Life works best if you think of it as a divergent alternative scenario for Toni Servillo's character in The Consequences of Love.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 22, 2011

A Quiet Life Review

A masterful exercise in cinematic restraint..

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A quiet life, una vita tranquilla.

Directed by Claudio Cupellini

The story of a man who murdered thirty-two people, gained power, and then got afraid because too many people wanted to kill him. One August morning, he disappeared. For fifteen years, everyone believed him dead.

Toni Servillo Marco D'Amore Francesco Di Leva Juliane Köhler Leonardo Sprengler Alice Dwyer Maurizio Donadoni Micki Bertling Ulrich Cyran Nick Dong-Sik Joachim Kretzer Giovanni Ludeno Edoardo Melone Franco Melone Daniel Roesner Enzo Salomone Lucia Schlör Hildburg Schmidt Andreas Wellano Hans-Joachim Heist

Director Director

Claudio Cupellini

Producers Producers

Fabrizio Mosca Christer von Lindequist Mischa Hofmann Fabio Conversi

Writers Writers

Filippo Gravino Guido Iuculano Claudio Cupellini

Story Story

Filippo Gravino

Editor Editor

Giuseppe Trepiccione

Cinematography Cinematography

Gergely Pohárnok

Composer Composer

Teho Teardo

Sound Sound

Michael Busch Giuseppe D'Amato Gilberto Martinelli Alessandro Rolla Francesco Tumminello

Costume Design Costume Design

Mariano Tufano

Acaba Produzioni Babe Films EOS Entertainment CinéCinéma Media Programme of the European Community Canal+ MiC RAI

Germany Italy France

Primary Language

Spoken languages.

German English Italian

Releases by Date

05 nov 2010, 04 mar 2011, 03 aug 2011, 06 oct 2021, releases by country.

• Digital 16 Prime Video
• Theatrical T

105 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

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A QUIET LIFE

by  Claudio Cupellini

Rosario Russo hails from southern Italy, has a young family and is perfectly integrated in his new home near Frankfurt where he runs a restaurant and hotel business. He keeps a low profile, has hanged identities, speaks an impeccable German - finally, his past is behind him. Until one day, his son Diego, long forgotten and on the run, shows up at his doorstep, and his past suddenly comes back to haunt him. Now Rosario’s orderly and prosperous life precipitates as past memories resurface and engulf him. He must settle the score: but will he remain true to his paternal duties in this final struggle for survival?

more about: A Quiet Life

A quiet life.

Claudio Cupellini’s second film is also his most accomplished. After earning Best Actor at the Rome fest for Toni Servillo, the film won the Cineuropa Award at the Brussels Film Festival.   

04/07/2011 | Films | Reviews

Interview: Claudio Cupellini • Director

Interview with Italian director Claudio Cupellini , whose film A Quiet Life has won the Cineuropa Award at the Brussels Film Festival 2011.   

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The new film from Claudio Cupellini, adapted from the graphic novel of the same name by Gipi and set in a post-apocalyptic future, is an ancestral, disturbing mirror of the present   

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A Quiet Place: Day One First Reviews: A Tense, Surprisingly Tender Thriller Anchored by Fantastic Performances

Critics say michael sarnoski's horror prequel isn't quite as terrifying as its predecessors, but it makes up for it with stellar character work from lupita nyong'o and joseph quinn, as well as a scene-stealing cat..

TAGGED AS: Horror , movies

Did we need a prequel/spinoff of A Quiet Place following all new characters through the silence-focused alien-invasion apocalypse? Well, you could just as easily ask whether or not we need any original movies in the first place. Fortunately, according to the first reviews of A Quiet Place: Day One , the third installment of the franchise justifies its existence with a thrilling trip through a decimated Manhattan. It may not be as scary as the first two movies, but for some, that’s not a bad thing. It also may not be as epic as expected for this kind of film. But critics mostly agree that it works as another character drama from Pig writer-director Michael Sarnoski and particularly thanks to the performances by leads Lupita Nyong’o , Joseph Quinn , and a cat named Frodo.

Here’s what critics are saying about A Quiet Place: Day One:

Is this a worthy addition to the franchise?

A Quiet Place: Day One is another excellent installment in the franchise, delivering the tense set pieces you’d expect, but also with an emotional core that you might not. — Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy

This is a prequel done right and a real pleasant surprise. — Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

This prequel resonates more deeply and thoughtfully than its predecessor – and far more than the third installment of a franchise has any right to. — Aisha Harris, NPR

It is my favorite movie of the three so far. I found it breathtaking. — Rachel Leishman, The Mary Sue

Fans of the first A Quiet Place who are expecting another breathlessly tense sci-fi horror film, are likely to be disappointed by a blockbuster as reflective and, well, quiet as this. Day One bucks the expectations for what a Quiet Place movie, and really a blockbuster film, should be, and instead delivers something much more moving and poignant. — Hoai-Tran Bui, Inverse

It’s not often we get a post-apocalyptic saga that remains so personal, so in touch with human loss as something not just forgotten in the next jump scare but given room to linger, an aspect that survives the shift away from parents protecting their children. — David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

A Quiet Place: Day One can’t boast the freshness of concept of the first film, but, in pure emotional payoff, it’s the most satisfying of the series. — Clarisse Loughrey, Independent

(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)

What makes it stand on its own?

A Quiet Place: Day One transforms into a truly singular blockbuster movie that sheds the immersive spectacle of the first movie in favor of something more tender and wistful. — Hoai-Tran Bui, Inverse

While John Krasinski’s two previous Quiet Place films were family affairs, Sarnoski’s entry into the series is more interested in found family. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire

Sarnoski has done a laudable job, cooking up a spinoff that adheres to the rules of the first two movies by staying focused on the smallest group possible of core characters while spreading the fear factor and suspense across a much larger canvas. — David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

It’s more of a footnote than a bold new chapter in the series, but this prequel’s relative smallness has its advantages. — Tim Grierson, Screen International

A Quiet Place: Day One feels more like an ambitious indie than a summer studio movie, and its downbeat tone leaves an unexpectedly glum comedown. — Damon Wise, Deadline Hollywood Daily

(Photo by Gareth Gatrell/©Paramount Pictures)

Is it still scary?

The less we see of the aliens, the better, and Sarnoski leans heavily on the abject fear his characters (and audience) feel once someone makes just a hair too much noise, knowing exactly what’s coming next. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire

It avoids the trap of over-explaining anything, making the terror here arguably even more primal than the previous films. — David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

What the film does well though is deliver a precisely balanced combination of jump scares, intense situations and confrontations with truly horrible creatures. It’s an effectively scary story, and it’s through the silence of the audience that you can measure this film’s success. — John Kirk, Original Cin

It’s not scary anymore, but it’s stressful in the way that makes you dig your nails into your palm. — Clarisse Loughrey, Independent

In an attempt to build moments of tension and induce scares, the pressure cooker feeling of the deafening silence being broken feels as if it isn’t stretched to its possible limit. That being said, for someone whose second feature is a bonanza of horror-action set pieces, Sarnoski does a sound job. — Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture

Sarnoski doesn’t have quite the same handle on the kind of immersive action that Krasinski displayed in the first two Quiet Place movies, and it shows: the jumpscares are mostly by-the-book, and the film’s most tense moments are nothing we haven’t seen in horror before. — Hoai-Tran Bui, Inverse

While it’s designed to be the Aliens to the Alien of the other films, this one doesn’t thrill quite as much as it intends to. — Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

Call me macabre, but I expected to see a lot more carnage than Sarnoski’s dismayingly sappy spinoff provides. — Peter Debruge, Variety

How is the change of scenery?

Seeing New York swarming with vicious monsters — scrambling over buildings and leaving giant gashes in their walls, while the streets are lined with burning car wrecks and destroyed storefronts — makes a big impression…production designer Simon Bowles and DP Pat Scola take full advantage of the opportunities afforded by New York. — David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

The bustle of the city is terrifying because every single noise could end up taking someone from the “city of dreams.” Still, director and writer Michael Sarnoski didn’t ruin what makes this city special. It still feels warm and busy and full of life as people are dying constantly around Eric and Sam. — Rachel Leishman, The Mary Sue

It evokes some of the iconography from 9/11. This isn’t uncharted ground — War of the Worlds and Cloverfield have this pretty well covered… but it’s a rich vein for a good filmmaker to tap into. And Sarnoski does this in ways that feel earned, not exploitative. — Patrick Cremona, Radio Times

As far as the action goes, there are times where Sarnoski uses the distinctive geography of New York City well – most notably a killer sequence that sees our protagonists chased into the subway system. — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly

There’s nothing to these set pieces we haven’t seen in the previous two movies, meaning it can feel overly familiar at times, but they’re so precisely honed that you’ll find yourself holding your breath all the same. — Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy

What about Michael Sarnoski as director?

Michael Sarnoski was the perfect fit for this movie. — Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy

Michael Sarnoski blew me away with Pig and here, he manages to show that he potentially can do just about anything. — Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

The filmmaker manages to bring much of his sensibility and overall texture to the series… Much of it is thanks to Sarnoski’s ability to pull deep emotionality out of his stars and audience almost immediately. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire

Sarnoski is working on an auteur wavelength. He often lets the momentum stagnate just enough so the viewer can truly take in the staggering annihilation of a city now in ruins, full of death, and inherent quiet beauty. — Gregory Ellwood, The Playlist

Sarnoski’s strengths as a filmmaker play better into the film’s more intimate moments compared to the larger action-oriented spectacle. — Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture

How ist Lupita Nyong’o’s performance?

Nyong’o carries the movie on very capable shoulders. Never under-selling the crippling terror that rules Samira’s every move, the actor conveys the conflict between the character’s bitterness and her humanity, remaining tenacious and decisive even when her body starts seriously failing her. She keeps you glued throughout. — David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Nyong’o commands the screen, every emotion conveyed by her facial expressions. Samira’s development across the movie might be conventional – stoic loner to trusting friend – but Nyong’o makes it feel fresh and earned. — Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy

Nyong’o’s work in Jordan Peele’s doppelganger horror Us felt leagues apart from anything we could casually term “scream queen.” She returns to that same territory here, concentrating all the primal terror of a scream into a single tear rolling down her cheek. — Clarisse Loughrey, Independent

A Quiet Place: Day One may feasibly do what Jordan Peele’s Us so unfairly didn’t, and if it does carry her through to awards season, it will finally prove that the old saw about genre movies and the Academy is finally a thing of the past. — Damon Wise, Deadline Hollywood Daily

Not once does it get old watching Nyong’o dive into her bag of tricks, especially for horror films. Nyong’o continues to elicit some of the most fear-induced expressions (while flexing that one tear-drop magic), giving audiences an unlikely lead that leaves a mark. — Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture

Quite simply: Nyong’o elevates the franchise. — Aisha Harris, NPR

And Joseph Quinn?

Quinn is enormously moving. — Caryn James, BBC.com

Joseph Quinn [is] wonderfully vulnerable. — Hoai-Tran Bui, Inverse

The British actor manages the feat of delivering an overstated performance that still somehow feels understated… With some actors, an overly emotional performance inspires eye rolls. Quinn makes you want to give him a hug. — William Mullally, The National

He delivers a far more sweet-natured performance than the emboldened personality that everyone came to know him from in Stranger Things . — Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture

He shows the benefits of casting a face we don’t already know from a string of movies. His sensitivity is so acute, and his big brown eyes so brimming with feeling that Eric’s resourcefulness and steadily summoned bravery almost catch us off guard. — David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

What about the two of them together?

The actors’ chemistry yields deeply affecting impact in their tender final scenes, rendered more powerful by their wordlessness. — David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Samira and Eric’s friendship also brings a deeper emotional aspect compared to the previous two movies. If you thought Lee singing “I love you” to Regan in the first movie was a lot, wait until you get to a beautiful sequence in a bar between Samira and Eric. You’ll cry over pizza. — Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy

Nyong’o and Quinn have a good sense of camaraderie, with them realistically heroic as the film goes on, and willing to sacrifice their well-being for the other. — Chris Bumbray, JoBlo’s Movie Network

Any other standouts?

The other star is Frodo, a screen cat for the ages to rank with Ulysses from Inside Llewyn Davis or Jonesy from Alien , played by two chonky black-and-white felines named Nico and Schnitzel. He has the gentle nature and cuddliness of a service cat but also the badass curiosity to explore precarious situations and feed his humans’ anxieties. — David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

The film’s best character [is] a pet cat who is the best on-screen feline since Ulysses in 2013’s Inside Llewyn Davis . — William Mullally, The National

Nyong’o and Quinn are superb, but they can’t compete with an adorable cat who clearly does not give a damn that he’s in an apocalypse. — Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy

It has one of the greatest pets ever in a film. — Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture

Will it leave us wanting more Quiet Place movies?

If this is how the franchise is going to be treated going forward, I think there’s potential to continue on with more installments. Either way, the trilogy we have now is among the better ones in recent memory. — Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

It has to be said that A Quiet Place has turned out to be a franchise with better legs than any of us thought, thanks to the smart people behind it and the top-notch talent on the screen. While it’s the least of the series, it’s still quite good, and it feels like a franchise that could sustain another movie or two. — Chris Bumbray, JoBlo’s Movie Network

While this is a solid entry in this franchise, the whole appeal of A Quiet Place (which sometimes can be quite gimmicky) and its implementation of silence feels like it will run its course sooner rather than later. — Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture

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A Quiet Life (2011)

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Tv/streaming, collections, chaz's journal, great movies, contributors, a quiet passion.

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Terence Davies is ever a filmmaker in search of lost time. I do not believe he has ever made a feature film that is set in the present day, unless you count his 2008 documentary on his beloved hometown of Liverpool, “ Of Time and the City ,” a present day from which he mourned the past. This is not to say that Davies is any kind of nostalgia monger. In gazing at the past, he casts a cold eye on the oppression suffered by his characters, particularly his female ones. See his staggering 2000 adaptation of Edith Wharton ’s “ The House of Mirth ,” starring Gillian Anderson , a near-surgical dissection of hypocrisy among the New York upper crust at the turn of the 19 th century to the 20 th . Also his 2011 “ The Deep Blue Sea ,” filmed from a Terence Rattigan play, in which Rachel Weisz ’s Hester is trapped in a loveless marriage in post-World War II Britain.

“A Quiet Passion,” his latest film, goes back further in time than any of his past pictures, to the middle of the 19 th century, and returns him to America, a place he has now visited three times in his filmography. (His 1995 film of John Kennedy Toole’s novel “The Neon Bible” was set in 1940s Georgia.) Working from his own original screenplay, “A Quiet Passion” treats the life and the work of the poet Emily Dickinson, whose vast body of work was mostly unpublished in her lifetime. The movie begins with young Emily (played by Emma Bell ) keeping still in the middle of a chairless schoolroom as her fellow students move to the left or to the right, following the instructive questioning of a teacher who asks in just what way they desire to “come to God and be saved.” Standing in the middle of the room Emily tells her teacher, “I am not even awakened yet.” Therefore, she asks, “How may I repent?”

We learn a little about how Emily acquired such seeming impudence. Her father, Edward, portrayed with solemnity and an unavoidable touch of wryness by Keith Carradine , is a lawyer with liberal proclivities and possessed of some religious skepticism, not exactly an au courant view in Amherst polite society. That said, he is also quite conventional in his views of women and their place, albeit surprisingly indulgent of his children at times. At supper with the now-adult Emily, played by Cynthia Nixon , he complains of a plate being dirty. Nonplussed, Emily picks up the plate and drops it to the floor, letting it shatter. She tells dad it is not dirty anymore. He actually seems amused.

The days of Amherst go by uneventfully enough at first. Emily whiles away the hours with her younger sister Vinnie ( Jennifer Ehle ) and best friend Vryling Buffam ( Catherine Bailey ). They stroll through gardens and go to teas and trade quips. Emily publishes a scant poem or two in a local journal run by a friend of her fathers. There are suitors and marriages—for others. Emily is too outspoken, too disinterested, too Emily to do anything but be herself. And to write, mostly in secret. Davies does not view Dickinson as any kind of eccentric. Indeed, one feels that Davies strongly identifies with her. His dedication to his portrait is spectacularly evident in every shot of this very unusual movie. At first he presents his story and characters in the form of tableaus, like something out of a silent picture. The characters speak stiffly and stand as if posing. As the movie continues, and certain events that came to define America and its character—particularly the Civil War—touch the lives of the Dickinsons, and we hear more of Emily’s work in voiceover, the movie’s style becomes less constricted, more fluid, but still retains an unearthly quality. Just as Dickinson’s poetic mode of personal expression and ear for idiosyncratic metaphor anticipated modernism, so here does Davies’ cinematic style slip certain bonds and achieve an unquiet fluidity. The effect is remarkable.

And it is grounded, and made most exemplary, by Cynthia Nixon’s performance. Every actor in this movie is wonderful. But Nixon’s precision in portraying every particular mood of Emily—for each individual scene calls for absolute specificity—is simply spectacular. There are points in Emily’s life when she is racked by illness, or possessed by a seeming madness. Her fury at the misbehavior of a family member in one scene late in the film, as she rails against a perceived lack of integrity, is chilling because Nixon makes the viewer see the extent to which Emily is actually turning that rage back upon herself. Every scene in the movie contains a performance revelation of almost equal power. I will be very surprised if I see a better performance from an American actor this year.

“A Quiet Passion” is not suffused with the romantic ache or agony of some of Davies’ other films. It does not mourn for what Emily Dickinson did not have. Rather it admires her for what she was, and what literary posterity made of her. And it invites the viewer to take seriously her mode of thought and of art; not just to take seriously, but to revel, inasmuch as one is able to revel in work that is simultaneously so austere and so rich. Like the movie itself.

Glenn Kenny

Glenn Kenny was the chief film critic of Premiere magazine for almost half of its existence. He has written for a host of other publications and resides in Brooklyn. Read his answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Film credits.

A Quiet Passion (2017)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, disturbing images and brief suggestive material.

125 minutes

Cynthia Nixon as Emily Dickinson

Jennifer Ehle as Vinnie Dickinson

Duncan Duff as Austin Dickinson

Keith Carradine as Edward Dickinson

Jodhi May as Susan Gilbert

Joanna Bacon as Emily Norcross

Emma Bell as Young Emily Dickinson

Benjamin Wainwright as Young Austin Dickinson

Catherine Bailey as Vryling Buffam

• Terence Davies

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• Florian Hoffmeister
• Pia Di Ciaula

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A QUIET LIFE

by Ethan Joella ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 29, 2022

The soothing tone and warm worldview of this grown-up bedtime story will be good for what ails you.

After sudden, life-changing loss—then what?

In his second novel, Joella returns to the narrative gambit of his debut, A Little Hope (2021), establishing parallel narratives for several small-town characters and then—poof!—revealing how they turn up in each other's lives. Here the town is Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the time is deep winter, and the characters are Chuck, Kirsten, and Ella. Chuck is a recent widower in his early 70s whose grief after the death of his wife is immobilizing, and regret over one poorly resolved disagreement—he was wrong, so wrong, and now he can never fix it—becomes an obsessive concern. Kirsten is a 20-something whose beloved father was murdered during a gas station robbery; like Chuck, she is derailed by grief, abandoning plans to apply to veterinary school and moving numbly through her days working at an animal shelter. Ella is a young mother whose ex-husband picked their daughter up early from school one day several months ago and completely disappeared. As collateral damage, she also lost her house and is now working two menial jobs to pay rent. Joella develops these characters with enormous empathy and clarity in the sonorous narrative tone of a benevolent god who sees and knows all and who can be counted on to address the chaos he has wrought on their lives. The guiding image of the book is a cardinal: According to Chuck's late wife, Cat, "the most special birds because they kept us company in winter when the other birds leave." "Be someone's cardinal," she urged her middle school students, one of whom, it turns out, was Kirsten. The childlike pleasure of discovering connections like this is one of the most basic joys of reading and is key to Joella's storytelling.

Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-982190-97-2

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Scribner

Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022

LITERARY FICTION | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | GENERAL FICTION

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New York Times Bestseller

by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024

A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.

A young woman’s experience as a nurse in Vietnam casts a deep shadow over her life.

When we learn that the farewell party in the opening scene is for Frances “Frankie” McGrath’s older brother—“a golden boy, a wild child who could make the hardest heart soften”—who is leaving to serve in Vietnam in 1966, we feel pretty certain that poor Finley McGrath is marked for death. Still, it’s a surprise when the fateful doorbell rings less than 20 pages later. His death inspires his sister to enlist as an Army nurse, and this turn of events is just the beginning of a roller coaster of a plot that’s impressive and engrossing if at times a bit formulaic. Hannah renders the experiences of the young women who served in Vietnam in all-encompassing detail. The first half of the book, set in gore-drenched hospital wards, mildewed dorm rooms, and boozy officers’ clubs, is an exciting read, tracking the transformation of virginal, uptight Frankie into a crack surgical nurse and woman of the world. Her tensely platonic romance with a married surgeon ends when his broken, unbreathing body is airlifted out by helicopter; she throws her pent-up passion into a wild affair with a soldier who happens to be her dead brother’s best friend. In the second part of the book, after the war, Frankie seems to experience every possible bad break. A drawback of the story is that none of the secondary characters in her life are fully three-dimensional: Her dismissive, chauvinistic father and tight-lipped, pill-popping mother, her fellow nurses, and her various love interests are more plot devices than people. You’ll wish you could have gone to Vegas and placed a bet on the ending—while it’s against all the odds, you’ll see it coming from a mile away.

Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024

ISBN: 9781250178633

Page Count: 480

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023

FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | GENERAL FICTION | HISTORICAL FICTION

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SEEN & HEARD

by Elin Hilderbrand ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 11, 2024

Though Hilderbrand threatens to kill all our darlings with this last laugh, her acknowledgments say it’s just “for now.”

A stranger comes to town, and a beloved storyteller plays this creative-writing standby for all it’s worth.

Hilderbrand fans, a vast and devoted legion, will remember Blond Sharon, the notorious island gossip. In what is purportedly the last of the Nantucket novels, Blond Sharon decides to pursue her lifelong dream of fiction writing. In the collective opinion of the island—aka the “cobblestone telegraph”—she’s qualified. “Well, we think, she’s certainly demonstrated her keen interest in other people’s stories, the seedier and more salacious, the better.” Blond Sharon’s first assignment in her online creative writing class is to create a two-person character study, and Hilderbrand has her write up the two who arrive on the ferry in an opening scene of the book, using the same descriptors Hilderbrand has. Amusingly, the class is totally unimpressed. “‘I found it predictable,’ Willow said. ‘Like maybe Sharon used ChatGPT with the prompt “Write a character study about two women getting off the ferry, one prep and one punk.”’” Blond Sharon abandons these characters, but Hilderbrand thankfully does not. They are Kacy Kapenash, daughter of retiring police chief Ed Kapenash (the other swan song referred to by the title), and her new friend Coco Coyle, who has given up her bartending job in the Virgin Islands to become a “personal concierge” for the other strangers-who-have-come-to-town. These are the Richardsons, Bull and Leslee, a wild and wealthy couple who have purchased a $22 million beachfront property and plan to take Nantucket by storm. As the book opens, their house has burned down during an end-of-summer party on their yacht, and Coco is missing, feared both responsible for the fire and dead. Though it’s the last weekend of his tenure, Chief Ed refuses to let the incoming chief, Zara Washington, take this one over. The investigation goes forward in parallel with a review of the summer’s intrigues, love affairs, and festivities. Whatever else you can say about Leslee Richardson, she knows how to throw a party, and Hilderbrand is just the writer to design her invitations, menus, themes, playlists, and outfits. And that hot tub!

Pub Date: June 11, 2024

ISBN: 9780316258876

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024

FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | GENERAL FICTION

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by Elin Hilderbrand

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A Quiet Life (1995)

Original title: 静かな生活.

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A melodrama about the life of a mentally disabled young man and his devoted sister after their famous novelist father and housewife mother go to Australia on a business trip.

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A quiet place, common sense media reviewers.

Gripping monster movie has lots of tension, some blood.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Bravery and teamwork can overcome difficult odds.

Father shown to be resourceful and caring toward f

This small cast lacks racial and age diversity, bu

A young boy is attacked (and killed off-screen) by

A couple slow dances while lovingly caressing each

The main family plays Monopoly.

Bottles of prescription drugs shown; pill given to

Parents need to know that A Quiet Place is a horror movie about a family that avoids deadly monsters by staying quiet and communicating via American Sign Language. The family survives a dystopian invasion through teamwork and bravery, even when they're scared or unsure. Expect monster violence, including…

Positive Messages

Bravery and teamwork can overcome difficult odds. It's important to push through fear and self-doubt. Deafness is portrayed as a strength, with American Sign Language and other visual forms of communication, including light-based signals, helping characters survive.

Positive Role Models

Father shown to be resourceful and caring toward family but also fearless when protecting them. Mother is endlessly brave, also while protecting her children. Violence sometimes required, and children sometimes placed, inadvertently, in harm's way. A character blames herself for a tragedy; another family member learns that to tell her he loves her means more to her than he can guess.

Diverse Representations

This small cast lacks racial and age diversity, but main hero Regan is deaf (played by deaf actress Millicent Simmonds). Regan isn't defined by her deafness; rather, her bravery holds her family together. But the film glorifies cochlear implants, implying that they work for everyone and "save the day." American Sign Language is used throughout as a survival technique. Strong female leads carry much of the film, acting with bravery and compassion in the face of danger.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

A young boy is attacked (and killed off-screen) by a monster; he's quickly snatched away in the blink of an eye. Children in jeopardy. A monster kills a raccoon; blood spurt. A woman's dead body is shown torn to shreds. A bare foot steps on a protruding nail; blood puddles. Blood pools in a tub. Bloody handprint appears on shower door. Main characters use guns and shoot. A few characters sacrifice themselves to monsters in order to protect others. Family members argue briefly. Jump scares, sudden noises. Small baby placed and covered in a box (to protect him from monsters). A pregnant woman gives birth (off-screen, but blood is seen during labor).

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A couple slow dances while lovingly caressing each other.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

Bottles of prescription drugs shown; pill given to sick boy.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that A Quiet Place is a horror movie about a family that avoids deadly monsters by staying quiet and communicating via American Sign Language. The family survives a dystopian invasion through teamwork and bravery, even when they're scared or unsure. Expect monster violence, including blood spurts and puddles (a character steps on a nail and leaves bloody footprints), as well as guns and shooting. Children, including a baby, are in peril, and one child is swept away and killed (off-screen) by a monster. A mangled corpse is briefly shown, and characters sacrifice themselves by shouting, which draws the monsters' attention. There's also arguing and a few jump scares. A pregnant woman goes into labor and gives birth (off-screen). Deaf actress Millicent Simmonds has a pivotal and positive role as tough-as-nails Regan. Simmonds co-stars with Emily Blunt , John Krasinski , and Noah Jupe . To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (89)
• Kids say (282)

Based on 89 parent reviews

Perfect First Scary Movie for kids

Incredible movie, what's the story.

In A QUIET PLACE, the world has been invaded by monsters that attack anything that makes noise. The Abbott family has managed to survive by staying very quiet; this is partly thanks to eldest daughter Regan ( Millicent Simmonds ), who is deaf, so the family already knows how to communicate with American Sign Language. Practical father Lee ( John Krasinski ) and mother Evelyn ( Emily Blunt ) have built a stronghold filled with stored food, surveillance cameras, warning lights, and even a Monopoly game with soft, silent playing pieces. But Regan blames herself for an earlier family tragedy, and son Marcus ( Noah Jupe ) is deathly afraid to go out and risk facing the monsters. Things get more difficult when the pregnant Evelyn must deliver her baby in silence. Her situation is further complicated when the baby is ready to come, and she finds herself alone, with the monsters circling.

Is It Any Good?

This gripping, clever monster movie is one of those rare genre treats that seizes on a simple, unique idea and executes it so perfectly and concisely that viewers can't help but be delighted. A Quiet Place is directed and co-written by Krasinski, who's best known for his work in comedy. He translates his experience in that genre to the expert building and releasing of tension here. A Quiet Place is, in many ways, an extended classic horror movie sequence, such as famous ones in The Birds or Aliens , wherein the heroes must try not to disturb packs of resting monsters.

At the same time, Krasinski uses the quiet like music, ranging from moments of restful beauty—including a father-son trip to a waterfall, where it's noisy enough that they can talk and even shout—to contrasted pauses. A loud noise can cause a jump, but it's immediately followed by tension and dread: Will the creatures come this time? The real beauty is the movie's primal quality, based on the most basic elements of life, such as survival and protection of the species. No explanation is given for the monsters' existence; they, like us, are just here. A few overly familiar horror movie clich és keep it from being perfect, but otherwise A Quiet Place is so good that it may leave viewers speechless.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about A Quiet Place 's use of violence . How did it affect you? How much violence is actually shown? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

Is the movie scary ? What's the appeal of horror/monster movies? Why is it sometimes fun to be scared?

Do you think it would be hard to stay quiet for long periods? How long have you gone without making a sound?

How does Regan come across? Is she strong? Admirable? Does the movie make you interested in learning more about American Sign Language?

Movie Details

• In theaters : April 6, 2018
• On DVD or streaming : July 9, 2018
• Cast : John Krasinski , Emily Blunt , Noah Jupe , Millicent Simmonds
• Director : John Krasinski
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Paramount Pictures
• Genre : Horror
• Topics : Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
• Run time : 90 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : terror and some bloody images
• Last updated : August 4, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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A Quiet Life Reviews

• 1 hr 40 mins
• Drama, Suspense
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The quiet life of a middle-aged hotel owner (Toni Servillo) in Germany is disrupted by the appearance of two Italian men associated with his past, when the hotel proprietor was once a powerful crime boss in Italy before faking his own death.

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘MaXXXine’ on VOD, the Slashy, Sleazy ‘80s-Set Finale to Mia Goth and Ti West’s ‘X’ Trilogy

Where to stream:, new movies on streaming: ‘a quiet place: day one,’ ‘maxxxine’ + more, ‘maxxxine’ comes to digital, but when will ‘maxxxine’ be streaming on max, mia goth ascends to the highest level of scream queen in ‘maxxxine’, is a24’s ‘maxxxine’ streaming on netflix or hbo max.

This week on How Is Mia Goth Terrifying Us Now is MaXXXine ( now streaming on VOD services like Amazon Prime Video ), the third film in writer-director Ti West’s X trilogy. It began with 2022’s X , set in 1979 with Goth’s Maxine character surviving a real humdinger of a Texas Chainsaw situation. It continued with a leap back to 1918, where Goth played the title character of Pearl , who murdered her way out of a Technicolor Disney/ Wizard of Oz situation in a decidedly Lizzie Bordenesque fashion. And it concludes (reportedly, for now) with MaXXXine , Goth reanimating Maxine, who finally gets her big shot at major crossover fame, which is what she’s always truly lusted after, although she’ll have to make it through a bunch of mid-’80s references to do it. And she can do it, right? You’d be wise not to doubt her.

MAXXXINE : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: She did it! Sort of. Almost. Not quite. Maxine (Goth) is on the cusp of fame. No, more like the fringe. The scungy fringe. The gross underbelly of Hollywood where the sunlight doesn’t… quite… reach. She’s Maxine Minx now, a porn star and peep-show artist whose confidence manifests in her stiletto-heeled strut, take-no-guff attitude and particular manner of driving her creamy-white Benz convertible, namely, just gunning it and ignoring basic traffic laws, and making everyone slam on the brakes for her, all the better to draw those eyes, all those eyes. She swaggers into an audition conducted by Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki), who’s directing The Puritan II , the sequel to a slab of horror schlock capitalizing on, and further stirring, Satanic Panic outrage. Maxine gives a wrenching, tearful reading of a crucial scene – and then is asked to take her top off, because it’s 1985, and showing your breasts is an equally important part of the camera test, especially for a movie whose primary ingredient is zillion-gallon tankers of pure, uncut sleaze.

Bubbling in the background of Maxine’s quest for fame is the saga of the Night Stalker, a real-life serial killer who slashed 14 people in L.A. and the Bay Area in the 1980s. Maxine slices through Hollywood to the mellifluous sounds of Ratt and Animotion, hanging with her bestie Leon (Moses Sumney), a video store worker of course, and talking business with her bottomfeeding agent/lawyer Teddy Knight (Giancarlo Esposito). She clocks in at the peep show one day and a black-gloved guy whose face we never see drops in the coin and watches her dance, and seems to be less turned on and more enraged by it, which tells us he’s a complete wacko. I’ll give you zero guesses as to who it is, since you already know. OR DO YOU?

Congratulations are in order, because Maxine lands The Puritan II and learns that Bender is kind of insane and kind of a feminist but also an exploiter and believes the project is “a B-movie with A ideas.” Maxine also meets her co-star, notable because she’s played by Lily Collins, cast presumably because her bountiful eyebrows compensate for Goth’s nearly invisible ones. As the Night Stalker’s victims start hewing closer and closer to Maxine, the cops on the case (Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Monaghan) start sniffing around her door. She also meets John Labat, a private detective played by the grossest, nastiest bits of Kevin Bacon. Needless to say, the primary question for this movie is, what will run heavier, the blood or the mascara? NO SPOILERS.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: If X was West channeling Tobe Hooper, and Pearl was West channeling Douglas Sirk, MaXXXine is West channeling Brian De Palma. Oh, and Dario Argento (think Deep Red or Suspiria ) and Nicolas Winding-Refn (whose depiction of Gross Los Angeles in The Neon Demon was more effective). Also whoever directed all the trash you used to watch on USA Up All Night . And then the movie kind of becomes a riff on Paul Schrader’s Hardcore ?

Performance Worth Watching: I’m going to use this space wisely: to pen an ode to Goth, who’s increasingly Swintonesque in her intensity, commitment and strange allure. MaXXXine doesn’t capitalize on her abilities as much as it should, a disappointment in an otherwise pretty gross, pretty amusing ’80s pastiche. She’s still scary, good and scary-good here, although Pearl is her greatest moment yet (Oscar worthy, for my nickel – as in she should’ve WON the Oscar), and Infinity Pool is my favorite Goth outing yet, showcasing her at her most despicably, savagely unhinged.

Memorable Dialogue: Director and actress wind up on the same page:

Bender: Are you ruthless? Maxine: Yes ma’am.

Sex and Skin: A couple medium-distance shots from a porn shoot, and a depiction of a fellow’s testicular area that might be the most horrific thing I’ve seen in a movie in years.

Our Take: West damn well knows he’s trafficking in the ickiest of nostalgias, with his cheeky-ass close-ups of Maxine snorting coh-oh-oh-oh-oke and very noticeably not drinking a can of New Coke. MaXXXine is homage, it’s spoof, it’s pastiche, and just like the period-specific tones, moods and details it’s aping, it’s shameless and unsubtle. The snake eats its own tail as West slashes up Hollywood and all its crassness, exploiting its exploitative qualities during perhaps the most exploitative decade of the movie biz, when sex and splatter sold like mad thanks to the VHS boom. Nasty, nasty video nasties. 

West unapologetically rummages and roots around in the ick with a De Palma-esque fetishistic fervor. There isn’t much of a focal point to the aesthetic, although the filmmaker occasionally licks his chops at the opportunity to impale sexism on a post-#MeToo pike – the way a studio-lot security guard leers at Maxine, the use-’em-up-and-throw-’em-out M.O. applied to young actresses, the scene with the soul-crushing acting immediately followed by the equally soul-crushing show-us-your-tits bit. This era generated a lot of movies we love but whose productions were surely disturbing under the harsher glare of modern sensibilities. 

So there’s some capital-T There here, for sure, although the majority of the movie is surface-level quality entertainment – fiendish kills, period-specific references, delightfully trashy soundtrack (that Ratt track is a deep cut), misc. catnip for film buffs, Mia Goth glaring right the f— into the camera. Enjoyable as it is, MaXXXine is the least of West’s trilogy, its ending a bit mooshy and only vaguely satisfying; it ultimately nips at the heels of the out-of-nowhere freshness of X , and trails Goth’s memorably devastating, peak-of-her-powers turn in Pearl by a sizable margin. Goth at three-quarters strength in MaXXXine is still worth its weight in blank BASF tapes and acid-washed denim, though. And then some.

Our Call: MaXXXine passes the camera test and earns our attention. STREAM IT.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead - Official Release Date Trailer

Check out this new trailer, announcing that the A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead release date is October 17, 2024 for PS5 (PlayStation 5), Xbox Series X/S, and Steam (PC).

Get another look at the upcoming single-player horror game inspired by Paramount Pictures’ franchise from Saber Interactive and Stormind Games. Prepare to step into the shoes of Alex, an asthmatic college student trying to survive the end of the world with her boyfriend Martin.

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My Favorite Amazon Deal of the Day: Bose QuietComfort Ultra

When it comes to the best headphones you can buy, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra is at the top of the list for active noise-canceling (ANC), but they also excel in other important categories. Right now, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra is $349 (originally $429) on Amazon, the price they last hit briefly during Prime Day, according to price-checking tools .

There is no better headphone to cancel the noise around you than Bose's QuietComfort Ultra lineup. Apart from the headphone model, they also make the best ANC earbuds , both using the same ANC technology. PCMag's "outstanding" review goes into detail on how the headphones do the best job at dialing back low-frequency rumbles as well as lows and mids.

Despite them being the best ANC headphones, they're not perfect: There are high-frequency sounds that still make it through the ANC technology. But these headphones performed better at ANC than their other two main competitors, Apple AirPods Max and the Sony WH-1000XM5 .

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones launched in the fall of 2023 with many reviewers praising their overall quality—while many complained about their steep price, at almost half a grand. But at their current price, there is no better value for your money for ANC technology.

If you've tried ANC headphones before, you're probably familiar with that feeling of pressure in your ears when you turn the ANC on. These headphones have that pressure, and the pressure can shift directions depending on where the noise is coming from (although some people don't notice these sensations).

Another great feature of the headphones is their transparency mode, meant to be used to hear your surroundings. This way you can wear your headphones outdoors and hear cars, bikes, or people around you. You can expect about 24 hours of juice with a full charge or about 18 hours if you're using ANC. The app also has a well-designed customizable EQ and you can choose two devices to have active multipoint connection.

Kusha Kapila’s Latest Series Life Hill Gayi Ending Explained & Spoilers

By Aditi Rathi

The streaming platform Disney+ Hotstar recently released the comedy web series Life Hill Gayi . Starring Divyendu and Kusha Kapila in the lead roles, the show is a light-hearted comedy that follows the dynamics of a dysfunctional family. Besides the two leads, it also features Vinay Pathak, Mukti Mohan, Aditi Goitrikar, Bhagyashree, and Kabir Bedi.

While its trailer left the audience wondering how the show would unfold, they now seem to enjoy it. Whether Kalki and Dev would be able to restore their grandfather’s hotel? Who would inherit Prithvi’s wealth? These are the questions that arrive in the viewers’ minds. An explanation of the web series ending with spoilers is below.

Life Hill Gayi ending & spoilers

Per Disney+ Hotstar, Life Hill Gayi’s official synopsis reads, “Siblings turn rivals when they are put on an inheritance race by reviving a down-in-the-dumps hotel in the hills. Who will emerge victorious?”

Life Hill Gayi begins with the introduction of two rich siblings, Dev and Kalki. While they lead a lavish life, they do not get along very well. Moreover, they are not on good terms with their father Himalaya. Amid the drama in the family, their lives completely change when they are called to Panchmoli by their grandfather Prithvi.

Why Kalki and Dev visit Panchmoli?

Dev, Kalki, and Himalaya visit Panchmoli to receive a message from Prithvi. He asks the two siblings to restore his hotel, Good Morning WoodVilla. He promises to felicitate them with medals on their every achievement. As this deal does not convince Dev and Kalki to spend a lot of time refurbishing the hotel, Prithvi announces that the one with the most number of medals will inherit his wealth. This leads to a neck-to-neck competition between the two siblings.

The condition of Good Morning WoodVilla worsened over the years and Kalki and Dev have to work relentlessly to make it better. They divide departments to dedicate themselves to the betterment of the hotel. Over time, they succeed in refurbishing the hotel, but find it difficult to deal with its staff and guests.

There are several incidents in the web series that describe how Dev and Kalki struggle in the smooth running of the hotel. However, they soon overcome every hurdle and achieve many medals. In the race, Kalki soon overpowers Dev with her skills and passion.

Besides the drama at the hotel, Life Hill Gayi also features a love story between Dev and Hima. Hima is a resident of Panchmoli who runs an organic fruit business. With her business, she has provided employment to the locals and is keen on staying in the village for life. Her friendship with Dev grows as they begin to spend time with each other. However, their relationship is filled with hurdles but they overcome them.

Who inherits Prithvi’s wealth?

With the hotel’s refurbishing task, Dev and Kalki seem to have resolved their differences. As they reminisced about the time they spent in Panchmoli in their childhood, they also grew closer to their father Himalaya. Now, the two realize that they deserve an equal share of the hotel as they have worked extremely hard on it.

Seeing the family’s reunion, Prithvi reveals that he has lost all of his wealth and the only property he has left is the hotel. Moreover, he has a $71.5 million debt. After learning about the debt, Dev and Kalki immediately feel responsible and wish to work at the hotel. Their mother also returns from South Africa to help them with their finances.

It is also revealed that their parents had a nasty divorce but they had a good bond with their mother. Moreover, Kalki is a single mother who was hoping to reunite with her daughter after the race of inheritance was over. The open ending of the web series left room for another season. More updates on the same are awaited.

Always lookin' for what's cookin', Aditi is a fan of American sitcoms and Indian cinema. The combination is as eccentric as she is. Apart from writing, you can catch her playing with her street dogs, painting, or cooking.

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Mia Goth's Chilling Psychological Horror Movie Ends With a Devastating Twist

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The Big Picture

• Mia Goth's performance in Marrowbone showcases her ability to convey complex emotions with subtle expressions and physical stillness.
• This darkly atmospheric film interweaves horror with themes of mental illness, trauma, and family bonds, requiring versatile performances from the cast.
• The plot twist in Marrowbone reveals a haunting story of grief and survival, adding layers to Mia Goth's portrayal of a ghostly yet fiercely protective character.

Scream queen Mia Goth may be best known for her performance in Ti West' s recent slasher MaXXXine , but one of her most underrated horror performances comes in the 2017 film Marrowbone , directed by Sergio Sánchez . Goth plays Jane Marrowbone, a teenager living in the crumbling ruins of her mother's childhood home in Maine with her brothers Jack ( George MacKay ), Billy ( Charlie Heaton ), and Sam ( Matthew Stagg ). This is a very dark film that intersects horror with themes of mental illness and childhood trauma. As a psychologically complex drama, it required psychologically complex performances to anchor it, and Mia Goth pulled it off, and then some. In Marrowbone , Goth goes internal with her acting. In her performance, she has the impressive ability to capture big emotions in the most subtle way while maintaining physical stillness and an aura of composure. She deftly portrays an introverted character who is restrained and tranquil on the surface but always on guard and fiercely protective of her family. While this performance required a different acting style than her more theatrical, unhinged performances in Ti West's films, it proved Goth's versatility as an actor.

Marrowbone (2017)

What is 'marrowbone' about.

Marrowbone is a Gothic family drama set in 1968. When we first meet the Marrowbone siblings, they have fled with their mother, Rose ( Nicola Harrison ), from England to escape their father (Tom Fisher), who is a notorious serial killer . However, Rose's health begins to decline, and she dies. One day, their father comes to the Marrowbone estate, having tracked them down. The film then jumps to six months later. The siblings are haunted by an ever-present "ghost" that lives in the attic . Tonally, it feels like a classic haunted house movie . The Marrowbones have covered all the mirrors in the house with sheets, and rarely go upstairs. They have constructed a fortress in the living room where they can retreat if the "ghost" ever reappears. Sometimes, they will hear scratching or thuds above them, and there is an eerie stain slowly spreading across one section of the ceiling.

Jane, the second eldest Marrowbone sibling, acts as a caretaker for her younger brothers. She and Jack try desperately to maintain a feeling of normalcy despite the decaying house, their mother's death, and the perpetual fear of the ghost in the attic. While on the surface, Jane is a beacon of calm, she is carrying the burden of her family's troubled past and present inside . As the family's protector, Jane is a quietly intense character. That may sound like an oxymoron, but Mia Goth was more than ready for this acting challenge and turned it into one of her greatest performances .

Mia Goth Shows The Art of Restraint in Jane Marrowbone

Jane Marrowbone requires a much quieter horror performance than the likes of Maxine Minx or Pearl Douglas. To capture this introverted character, Goth says a lot with her eyes and subtle changes in her face . In one scene, her brothers excitedly open a box of cash they had buried in a nearby cave. Jane sits quietly watching, and the viewer observes as Goth's face slowly grows more severe. She maintains perfect composure as she says, “It’s blood money. We all know where it comes from. We shouldn’t even touch it.” Even as she sits very still with perfect posture, Goth's eyebrows shift ever so slightly, and her eyes widen, conveying a mixture of terror and rage. Another moment that showcases Goth's restraint is when Jane realizes that their father has tracked them down. She sees him through the window and quickly hides herself from view. Her eyes dart frantically back and forth, but she says nothing. She is processing what is happening and what she must do. Then, taking a deep breath, Goth screams the single word "Jack" at the top of her lungs. Before the scream, she manages to show her character's tactical thinking in only a few seconds, and without words.

Mia Goth’s Sick Psychological Horror Movie Pays Tribute to the Universal Monsters

The young Hannah is nothing like Maxine Minx.

Goth's co-star George MacKay commented on this particular quality of her performance. In a behind-the-scenes documentary from Empire Entertainment , MacKay said, "It's kind of like an ocean, I think. There's like a calm sea, but it just goes... there's this depth. And you feel Jane. It's like Jane just sort of hits you." MacKay has far more screen time than Goth, but her electrifying presence on camera was clear to him. In Jane's scenes, she almost appears to be bristling with energy . In another scene, Jane gently covers her little brother Sam's ears when they hear the "ghost" upstairs. She stares upwards with tears brimming in her eyes, but a focused and fearless expression on her face. This kind of layered performance requires an incredible amount of effort, but Goth makes it look easy. While Sánchez fills the plot with exciting twists and a fair share of jump scares, Goth's performance never gets lost in the excitement and terror of the story.

Marrowbone harnesses Goth's skill at subtlety, but occasionally, Jane's composure cracks and these glimpses of wildness show Goth's brilliance as an actor . Each sibling has a moment alone where they realize that their father is still alive. Jane's happens when she tries to feed a raccoon through a crack in the ceiling and a hand grabs her instead. Jane immediately runs to the sink and starts frantically scrubbing her hands. The realization that her father isn't dead has, understandably, frightened Jane to her core. Goth shows this emotional state with a frenzied volatility. As she scrubs at herself, her shaking hands fumble over the soap and she drops it. Then her movements get wilder. She throws the soap across the room, followed by the basin of water, before crossing the room and punching her bed furiously until she collapses. So far, Goth has maintained incredible stillness as Jane keeps her emotional state contained, so this moment of physicality is both fascinating and unsettling to watch.

Mia Goth's Versatility Prepared Her For Ti West Horror Movies

Near the end of the film, Sánchez throws in a major plot twist. What feels like a Gothic ghost story turns out to be a different kind of haunting. Sanchéz replays exactly what happened after the children's father returned. He killed Jane, Billy, and Sam , and Jack was the sole survivor. Jack managed to trap his father in the attic to slowly starve to death, and his father has been the "ghost" haunting him from upstairs as he slowly withers away. As a way to cope with his grief, Jack has been imagining himself as each of his siblings, switching voices and mannerisms in order to keep them alive in his mind . This reveal comes as a huge surprise because Goth gives such a physically involved, human performance that Jane feels entirely alive. The knowledge that Goth was portraying a ghost all along adds layers to her dynamic performance. She perfectly captures Jane's devotion to keeping her family safe, even when she is dead. Ultimately, Goth's acting is both impressive and moving within the tragic context of this story.

Goth's acting in Marrowbone is restrained but intense as she manages to portrays a ghost with complex emotions and physicality. In Ti West's X trilogy, she plays characters with big dreams who are chasing the spotlight . Maxine Minx and Pearl Douglas are characters who require theatrical, often unhinged performances, and Goth delivers, proving how perfectly suited for horror she is. But quieter films like Marrowbone show Goth's true versatility as an actor . Marrowbone prepared Goth well for her roles in West's films, where she manages to humanize very complicated characters. And, fortunately, MaXXXine may not be the end .

Marrowbone is available to watch on Hulu.

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