Somewhere Quiet

I found this on Hulu and thought it sounded good, but that wasn't the case. It was just ... okay. The acting was great but the story and execution of the film (editing for co tent) were sometimes a slog, I almost stopped watching in the beginning as I was bored, and other times confusing, which I get is the point, but there is never any clarity. There is no clear cut answer in the end. This is a definite art house movie, but not gratifying in my humble opinion. It's really a shame as the performances were beautiful, nuanced, and compelling. I was hoping for more, and an ending that wasn't so lackluster.

I'm glad I just saw this on Paramount and clicked play. I thought don't read ratings, just go for it like when we'd rent a video tape back in the day without knowing everyone's opinion on it.

And I'm glad I did that, as I probably would have skipped it if I'd seen the low rating. But I'd miss a well executed, tense psychodrama.

The lead actress is great, the story constantly keeps you guessing and the music deserves note.

The cover image Paramount used of a ghostly woman staring at a house with windows lit up red has no relation to the movie at all - and I can see some people expected this to be horror. That image would have reinforced that belief. But this movie is not horror, and points to the studio not knowing how to market it. And as they often do, then mis-market it and expectations are not met and low ratings ensue.

The only reason I didn't give it a 7/10 was there were some plot elements that were left unresolved or were too mysterious.

I don't mind ambiguity, but you need to sometimes give viewers something more to work with even if they don't all interpret it the same way. You need viewers to be debating apples vs pears, not apple vs rocks. Looking at some of the radically different views online to me that's more of a mis-match - people are clutching at straws as there wasn't enough to underpin the narrative in places.

And I think that's a failure of too many visions/dreams, which undermined the very real and shifting sands between the characters.

Somewhere Quiet has a woman who has been kidnapped but now safe arrive at her husband's rural family home in Cape Cod. She is struggling with her emotional stability after her ordeal. He appears unprepared for the realities of her situation and state of mind. Also present is his female cousin who presents an odd approach that is demeaning and dismissive of the protagonist.

What unfolds is the internal trauma of the protagonist's psychological grasp of reality in context of a wealth disparity, and the colonialism bias of White Old School Wealth. This creates for heavy complications as the protagonist tries to understand what is occurring around her.

The tension builds steadily through the film, and the lens of reality becomes confused as the protagonist isn't certain what is real. And it works as a personal psychological thriller. The cousin has a benign malevolent demeanor, the husband either seems incompetent or malicious; both actors do well in these contrary roles. The protagonist creates a captivating portrait of a woman damaged and fighting for herself.

It seems that most people leaving reviews simply just don't get this movie. Not everything has to be wrapped up in a neat little bow! The performances from the 3 main actors were all amazing. The setting, the music, the sound design, the overall sense of foreboding dread.

I absolutely loved this movie and wish it was easier to find on streaming somewhere so more people could see it.

It'll leave you thinking and speculating at the end but that's one of its strong points in my opinion.

One point that really stands out to me is the sound design and how most of the movie is near silent. Every little sound has a HUGE impact in the absence of unnecessary noise and it makes it all the more scarier. Almost like horror ASMR.

Really excited to see what comes next from this director and these actors.

I felt a bit emotionally exhausted after watching this one, so you know that means something in and of itself. This is a slow burn psychological horror/thriller about trust, trauma and discerning what is reality and what isn't.

Some people are going to find this boring, but I couldn't unglue my eyes from the screen. It was so captivating and atmospheric in the strangest way. There was something about this one that felt very unique and special.

The acting here was pretty stellar all around. The husband had some cringe moments when upset/crying but I think it was supposed to come across as ingenuine. But truly, our three leads here did a really great job.

This is not the most fulfilling movie as far as story goes, so be forewarned that you might feel a little... wanting at the end. There isn't a whole lot of background explained and is left pretty open ended. I would have loved a little more explanation/closure but I understand that wasn't really the point here. But yet also the point because she didn't know what was going on either haha. There was just a lot left up in the air... but it also added to the confusion and atmosphere.

I feel like if there was just a little more to the story it would have easily tipped over into the 7's but regardless this was a really solid watch that I would definitely recommend.