Soft & Quiet”: The Horror Movie That Left One Critic with a Panic Attack on Netflix
Blumhouse Productions is known for producing content that keeps viewers engaged. One of their latest releases on Netflix, Soft & Quiet, has left viewers shocked with its brutality. The movie is a horror film that was made available on the streaming platform earlier this month. One critic even reported experiencing one of the worst panic attacks she had ever had after watching the film.
The title of the movie, “Soft & Quiet,” is a clue as to what viewers can expect from it. The film’s protagonist, Emily, is a kindergarten teacher who advocates for the advancement of white supremacy through a “soft and quiet” approach. Unlike other movies that depict racism in a blunt and visceral way, Soft & Quiet focuses mainly on the villains’ perspective, making it all the more unsettling.
What makes the villains in Soft & Quiet even more terrifying is how ordinary and seemingly harmless they appear. The use of well-known actors suggests that anyone, even those who seem perfectly normal, could hold the same beliefs as the characters in the film. These women nurse grievances against immigrants, diversity policies, and the Black Lives Matter movement, among other things.
Beth de Araújo wrote, produced, and directed Soft & Quiet, which unfolds in a single continuous take. The movie introduces viewers to a group of women who are attending a “Daughters for Aryan Unity” meeting organized by Emily, an elementary school teacher. The meeting quickly turns into a home invasion that becomes horrifically violent. According to the movie’s synopsis, “Taking place in real-time, elementary school teacher Emily organizes a mixer of like-minded women, but an altercation between a woman from Emily’s past and the group leads to a volatile chain of events.”
In short, Soft & Quiet is not easy to watch, and viewers should be aware of what they’re getting into before watching it on Netflix. According to a review from RogerEbert.com, “Araújo crafts a tense film that slowly reveals how simple racist rhetoric can escalate into physical violence on the turn of a dime.”
