The 2022 horror/thriller movieSoft & Quietpremiered at SXSW in March 2022 and was released in the U.S. in November 2022. While Blumhouse is known for legacy slashers like David Gordon Green’sHalloweentrilogy and stand-out films like Jordan Peele’sGet Out, the production company also put out an incredibly unsettling single-take movie.
Soft & Quiettells a memorable story of cruelty and sadness. And while it can be tough to watch at times, it does give audiences a lot to think about. What happens duringSoft & Quiet? Where was the movie filmed? And what happens during its dark and unforgettable ending?
RELATED:The Daylight Horror Subgenre, Explained
What Is Soft & Quiet About?
Compared to otherBlumhouse horror movies released in 2022,Soft & Quietdidn’t get as much buzz. The movie is about members of a white supremacist group featuring several women who are calling themselves the Daughters for Aryan Unity. Marjorie (Eleanore Pienta) works in retail, Kim (Dana Millican) owns a grocery store, and Leslie (Olivia Luccardi) was once in prison. Emily (Stefanie Estes) teaches kindergarten and sets up the inaugural gathering.
Soft & Quietis very unsettling and disturbing. When Asian women named Lily (Cissy Ly) and Anne (Melissa Paulo) try to buy wine at Kim’s store, Kim is racist toward them and doesn’t want to sell to them. This results in a violent argument. The rest of the movie takes place at Anne and Lily’s house, where the four other women hold them captive and hurt them.
While2022 was a great year for horror movies, it’s hard to say thatSoft & Quietis a good movie because the subject matter is so dark and upsetting. The film wants to raise awareness of violence and racism and prejudice. But while it’s clear that the four women are the villains here, the entire film is difficult to watch.
Beth de Araújo, the director ofSoft & Quiet, was interviewed by IndieWire and explained that the movie is definitely unsettling. She said, “I think it’s polarizing, by design. It’s meant to make you feel very uncomfortable. There’s either the reaction to sit in that discomfort and ask why, [or] there are people who don’t like feeling the discomfort and they quickly disengage and run away from it. I don’t think there’s necessarily a wrong way to feel and respond to this. It’s very heavy, and I’m just happy that people are engaging with it in any way.”
While somesingle take movies aren’t impressive,Soft & Quietis shot well. And the fact that the movie was filmed in one take makes it feel scarier and more dangerous. Lily and Anne’s pain and fear is even more apparent, which emphasizes the theme of the movie. When it comes out that Emily’s brother is in prison because he raped Anne, and Emily doesn’t believe that this really happened, the four members of the group become even crueler.
How Was Soft & Quiet Filmed?
According to IMDb,Soft & Quietwas filmed in Inverness, California. The school scenes were shot at Inverness Elementary School. The scenes at Kim’s grocery store were filmed at Inverness Store, which is located in the same California town, and the meeting of the group took place at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church & Retreat House. Anne and Lily’s house, where the majority of the story takes place, is located at 12765 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.
Ahorror movie’s setting is very important. And becauseSoft & Quiettakes place in what looks like a regular town, this proves how this could happen anywhere, which is a frightening thought.
How Does Soft & Quiet End?
The ending ofSoft & Quietis very disturbing. Leslie seems to kill Anne by putting a bag over her head, and Lily passes away after being given peanuts, which she is allergic to. Leslie says that if it seemed that the sisters were assaulted, then they will get away with the crime as it will seem like someone else was responsible. The four women from this terrible group bring a bag that has Anne and Lily’s bodies and throw them in a lake.
The last scene ofSoft & Quietsees Anne, who isn’t dead after all, figuring out how to get out of the bag. She leaves and, of course, is going to be traumatized by this experience, likely for the rest of her life.
WhileSoft & Quietisn’t considered one of themost popular Blumhouse horror moviesbecause the subject matter might make it too tough for some, it does tell a complete tale of injustice and anger. As director Beth de Araújo said, it’s going to be thought-provoking.
While it’s hard not to wish that both Lily and Anne survived, as it’s cruel to watch Lily die, it does make sense to decide that one of them should die. This drives home how horrible prejudice is and what a real problem this is. WhileElizabeth Olsen’s single-take movieSilent Housefeels like it could be told another way,Soft & Quietworks as a single-take horror film. Audiences follow Anne and Lily’s journey from the moment they meet them in the grocery store. And the movie depicts a horrifying reality.
