The Anxiety Review: A Quiet Place Part II

The Anxiety Review is a series where I will be reviewing the books, music, and movies I love through the lens of my anxiety. Through these reviews, I will be sharing the media that has helped me through anxious episodes in the past, as well as analyzing how I believe mental health issues manifest in popular media. These posts are not meant to be exhaustive reviews but more short opinion pieces to share with others some things that have helped me. 

A few weekends ago we went to see A Quiet Place: Part II. Now I'm a unique empath in that I love an amazing horror/thriller movie, and I have been anticipating this movie since John Krasinski posted about it on his Instagram in February of 2019. A Quiet Place is easily one of my favorite movies ever, and I knew Part II would blow me away as well. 

What I really liked about A Quiet Place is that it shows its characters as they truly are: human. Their humanity makes them incredibly relatable from an early point, and they don't shy away from showing pain, worry, or even anxiety on the big screen. 

Now I somehow doubt there are many reviews of A Quiet Place: Part II that mention the topic of anxiety outside of the anxiety the film creates while watching it, but when I'm viewing movies, just like anyone else, I view them through my own lens, and I make meaning where I can. I believe this is how we as humans are meant to interact with all art; we find ourselves in it and that's how it connects, that's how it resonates. 

For me, the Abbotts are what resonates. Their love and support for each other is so relatable and realistic. But my favorite thing about them is the way they communicate with each other. In the opening scene of Part II, without giving too much away, Marcus Abbott is up to bat for his little league baseball game. He's obviously very nervous, and those nerves vibrate off of him as he searches the crowd for his family. He locks eyes with each of them, and each, in their own way, reassure him with a look, a sign, a connection. 

This is one of the most loving ways that I've ever seen anxiety portrayed in a film. The Abbotts know that Marcus has anxiety. They know that his nerves are eating away at him in that moment, and yet, they fully accept that; they fully accept him, and they not only provide acceptance, but they also provide reassurance and strength. 

There is no judgement in their connection with Marcus. There is only acceptance and love and support. 

This moment calls back to the first movie when Lee takes Marcus off of the farm to teach him about survival. Marcus's nerves once again are on clear display. He doesn't hide the fact that he's scared and that alone tells me a lot about this family's structure and relationship off screen. Too often in media, we're shown preteen and teenage boys being "tough" against all odds, rarely showing that they are in fact real human beings with real insecurities and fears. 

Marcus, and the Abbott family in general, are all shown in their true human form: flaws and all. They are shaped not by what is happening in the world around them, but by their connection to each other and who they are as people: a mean feat in a film about the apocalypse.

Without giving away spoilers, I would say that A Quiet Place Part II positions Marcus just as it did in the first movie, as a kid with anxiety who can overcome that anxiety to be there for his family and to make a difference. In this way, I left the movie feeling exhilarated and validated, as if I could save the world (or at least my own small corner of it). Instead of framing the character with anxiety as a burden or a screw up, the movie frames Marcus as brave and resilient in spite of his anxiety. 

This framing leaves a lot of room in the future for how mental illness is portrayed in film. A Quiet Place Part II (and really the first movie as well) shows us heroism in the most unlikely of places. 

There's so much more I could write about this movie. From beginning to end, I was invested in the story and the characters, and I would say that it kept pace with the first movie in terms of writing, acting, and storytelling. But more importantly, as a viewer with anxiety, I was able to see myself in the film and that made me feel connected to it in an entirely different way than I would normally connect. Anxiety is a part of so many lives, and if we can portray it in films without calling unnecessary attention to it and without overdramatizing it, maybe we can start helping more and more people feel seen and understood in a world filled with our own monsters. 

 

Post Script: I don't recommend googling "A Quiet Place Part II" and "Marcus." It is very obvious that much of the world is still not interested in characters who may struggle with fear or anxiety, which is why it's so important we continue to portray them in as many places as possible. It's so disappointing to me that so many look at a character like Marcus as annoying instead of looking at them with empathy and understanding. I'm pretty sure if you were in the apocalypse you might make some mistakes sometimes too.