Soft & Quiet is a 2022 American horror film about an afternoon in the life of an elementary school teacher who organises a meeting of like-minded women. When they all decide to move the meeting to Emily’s house to keep the wine flowing, they stop at the local store to pick up refreshments. At the store, an altercation breaks out between a woman from Emily’s past and the group, leading to a volatile chain of events…
Written and directed by Beth de Araújo (shorts: I Want to Marry a Creative Jewish Girl; Chevy Chase; Initiation; Brown Bag), making her film directorial debut.
The Second Grade Teacher production stars Stefanie Estes, Jon Beavers, Nina E. Jordan, Jayden Leavitt, Olivia Luccardi, Cissy Ly, Shannon Mahoney, Dana Millican, Jovita Molina, Melissa Paulo, Eleanore Pienta and Rebekah Wiggins.
Reviews:
“All of the actresses have to maintain a high level of intensity for the duration. They didn’t get to stop, chill out for a moment, and do another take. Having to hold and then build that intensity ensures that Soft & Quiet never gives the viewer a break, either. From the very first shot until the final cut to black, you are on this ride, with nothing to shatter the illusion that what you’re watching is real.” 4 out of 4, The Aisle Seat
” …it focuses on a number of hot topic issues and does something very unusual with them. Which might make it an uncomfortable watch for some, but this is the intent of writer/director Beth de Araújo’s feature debut. It’s cleverly done. Using the conceit of ‘real time’ to ramp up the tension, induce panic and ensure that Soft & Quiet goes to places other films fear to tread.” Backseat Mafia
“The technical skill involved here is impressive, the themes are delivered with conviction, and the performances are astonishing. That all may not be enough to make people watch, though. After all, Soft & Quiet is an abrasive and bleak experiment that isn’t interested in coddling or making the villains sympathetic. Araújo’s movie indeed asks a lot of its audience.” 3.5 out of 5, Bloody Disgusting
“Soft & Quiet is not an easy film to watch. It’s meant to make people uncomfortable. It might make people angry or sad […] Some viewers might be so turned-off or upset, they might not be able to finish watching the movie. Regardless of what people think of Soft & Quiet, the movie serves its purpose…” Culture Mix
“It’s a film that will unquestionably deserve all the trigger warnings assigned to it when properly released, yet the deliberate testing of personal limits toward the depiction of hate crimes risks becoming a cruelty in and of itself. Soft & Quiet’s calculated technique of escalation and pointed overwhelming walks a fine line between showing the actualities of racial trauma and inadvertently retraumatizing through its protracted extremities.” Film Pulse
“Perhaps it’s the structure that makes it so effective, yet so limiting. Watching the groupthink play out in real time, in an unbroken shot masterfully executed by DP Greta Zozula, exposes it all, from a casual conversation to initiation in the real world to a brutal “prank” (in their minds) gone horribly wrong. It also limits us from knowing more about the conditions that created these individuals and from gleaning details regarding this small town.” Grade: B, The Film Stage
“For those easily triggered, Soft & Quiet should undoubtedly carry several different trigger warnings along with its content. Hate crimes are no laughing matter—how does one look away from the horrors unfolding before their very eyes? The sad reality is that these types of events exist in our modern society, whether we would like to think about them or not. There are no easy answers when it comes to approaching the type of deep-seated hatred portrayed within.” 4 stars out of 5, Josh at the Movies
“It’s a relentlessly dark, gruesome horror film that was clearly made from a place of desperate urgency and raw, unbridled rage, as frightening for the horrors on the screen as the ways they mirror the horrors of reality. You will need a hot shower to cleanse yourself from the filth that this film plunges you into. I give my absolute highest possible recommendation…” 5 stars out of 5, Loud and Clear
“After the intensity of the second act, Soft & Quiet struggles to find a conclusion, ending in a sequence at dusk that’s so dark it’s practically impossible to see what’s going on. But I appreciate its willingness not to wrap anything in a bow. Unlike the exploitation movies of the ’70s it feels inspired by, this isn’t a revenge movie. This is Last House on the Left and I Spit on Your Grave, but without the villains’ comeuppance.” 3.5 stars out of 5, The Movie Waffler
“Following the story in real-time is impressive, although by the end of the night most of the action was set in pitch blackness making it hard to figure out exactly what was happening. If Araújo and her team set out to make the audience more and more uncomfortable as the film progresses she more than succeeds. The filmmaking here is already so accomplished…” RogerEbert.com
“It’s a thoroughly uncomfortable experience, one guaranteed to make the audience’s skin crawl as things move from bad to worse in real time, and what the viewer takes from it will be predicated on their willingness to sit in that discomfort. Not everyone will be up for it, and that’s okay, but for those whose constitutions crave a challenge, this film is essential.” Screen Anarchy
“The format shows that de Araújo has serious filmmaking chops: She can orchestrate and sustain the energy for the duration, after seeding clues in the first half-hour. But it also paints the movie into a corner, spending an uncomfortable amount of time walking, driving and standing around. “Soft & Quiet” probably would have been more effective if it had been shot and cut like a normal feature…” Variety
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