SOFT & QUIET is a horror thriller shot in real-time, which means a constant bombardment of emotions and pure terror. Officially (well, according to IMDb), this is a drama, horror, and mystery.
And it absolutely is all along its 91-minute runtime.
However, it is also a brutally realistic movie that shows events you might become familiar with in a true-crime documentary. I still have not been able to let it go or stop thinking about it. Which is good and important because it sits in the pit of your stomach screaming: So what are you going to do about it?!
The fact that Soft & Quiet is shot in real-time is a stroke of pure brilliance: You will get no relief or time to breath or think. It’s just a non-stop escalation of terror. To me, this is more intense, scary, and brutal than any of the many (many!) horror movies, I watch.
“Why?” you may wonder. Because this is real horror. Not only could it happen, but it does happen!
As was the case on the first day of principal photography, when the crew awoke to the news of
how six Asian women had been killed in three spas in Atlanta. I can only imagine what working on this movie, with that in the back of their minds did for the cast and crew.
The result is an insanely strong movie and maybe this even added to that. In fact, I don’t see how it couldn’t since it’s exactly the subject of Soft & Quiet at its core.
Amazing performances
I cannot commend the cast of this movie enough. The women portraying the vile white supremacist women deliver amazing performances. Especially in the nuances when they come across as kind, helpful, and just very “normal”.
Stefanie Estes (Bethany, Tales from the Loop) is brilliant as the “leader of the pack”, Emily. She plays exactly the kind of real-life person that terrifies me. Also, Olivia Luccardi (Feral, It Follows), Eleanore Pienta (Chained for Life), and Dana Millican (Leave No Trace) round out the core part of Emily’s “crew”.
Emily’s equally racist (but more reluctant to participate) husband is portrayed by Jon Beavers (Unbelievable).
Finally, we have Melissa Paulo and Cissy Ly (Sad Eyes) doing the ungrateful but important job of portraying those meeting pure hatred from the group of “soft and quiet” white women, who are more brutal, crude, and loud than anything else.
I feel like watching Soft & Quiet should be mandatory to watch and relate to. However, I do fear the point will be missed by those perpetrating the crimes and ideologies shown here.
Still, those of us who want to fight against this oppression and hatred have a damn responsibility to acknowledge that this is happening. And to do something whenever you can!
There’s a popular saying that goes “When you know better, you do better!” Well, you need to watch Soft & Quiet to recognize that this movie shows something that is happening right now. And when you know this to be true, you should do something about it.
Watch Soft & Quiet in Theaters or On Demand
Beth de Araújo is the writer and director of Soft & Quiet. For those wondering, her mom is Chinese-American and her dad is from Brazil. And yes, in this context it does matter because this movie is based on her life experience of not being a white person in America. Or the world, for that matter.
Jason Blum is a producer on the movie since his company Blumhouse Productions ended up acquiring the rights after he watched it. Apparently, it made him uncomfortable and had him on the edge of his seat, so he hadn’t stopped thinking about the film since he watched it.
Well, I can certainly relate to that! It is grotesquely uncomfortable to watch and due to the real-time aspect, you cannot look away or get a break. It’s a brilliant move to put the horror of it all into the viewer.
The behavior shown in Soft & Quiet will be surprising to those, who simply can’t recognize it from their own life. To others, it will feel all too familiar. Whatever your experience is, you need to acknowledge that the white women shown in this movie most definitely do exist. As do the men, but they tend to be louder!
Also, we all need to recognize that these people feel empowered when nobody calls them out on their behavior. So we (that means you and me) have to do something if we want this to change.
Whether that is calling out racism and bigotry, supporting anyone experiencing it, or going into politics to fight it from the ground up. The options are plentiful and doing nothing impossible. And for the love of all that you hold dear: Vote like your life depends on it. Because for many people (and all women), it truly does!
Soft & Quiet is out In Theaters and On Demand from November 4, 2022.
