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Lupita Nyong’o and Frodo the Cat Steal a Somber Spinoff

Where John Krasinski’s two “A Quiet Place” films take place in rural upstate New York, “Day One” moves the action to the big city. The opening text states the average volume of New York City is 90 decibels, and I don’t even want to know how many decibels further the sound designers have heightened those everyday sounds (you can always rely on “A Quiet Place” for amazing sound work). Though that raises a question: If the city is so loud on average, what determines which sounds are going to get the aliens’ attention? Would all that background noise provide any cover? The film makes it clear that the sounds of thunderstorms offer cover, but maybe that’s more to do with the aliens’ general avoidance of water.

Samira (Lupita Nyong’o) is visiting from out of town when the aliens invade. After getting knocked out in the initial chaos and reawakening in a newly silent city — people seem to figure out the rules for survival very quickly while Samira’s out — she travels with her emotional support cat Frodo (played by two cats, Schnitzel and Nico) from Chinatown to Harlem in dogged pursuit of one important post-apocalyptic mission: getting a slice of pizza from Patsy’s. That’s the part of the story that sounds like a joke; the serious angle comes from, among other things, the way she’s already prepared to die as a terminal cancer patient.

Nyong’o is one of the best actresses around who doesn’t get nearly enough leading roles, and her face’s sheer expressiveness does all the emotional heavy lifting needed for the mostly wordless drama. In contrast to the family dynamic at the center of the other “Quiet Place” movies, Samira crosses paths with lots of people but is more or less on her own — Frodo aside — until a fortunate run-in with the exceedingly generous British law student Eric (Joseph Quinn) turns the film into a silent romance. Another apparent Michael Sarnoski trend: similarities to Pixar movies. The ending of “Pig” directly parallels the climax of “Ratatouille,” and some of the most charming parts of “Day One” feel almost like “WALL-E” with humans.

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