No music playing in the background, or knives cracking through crusty loaves of bread. There is no clink of cutlery against ceramic, or chit-chat about the characters’ days. It only takes a moment to register that something is deeply wrong. They hold hands for a brief prayer and then dig in. The burlap tablecloth and colorful placemats could have come from Pier 1, and the rustic wooden drinking vessels might be straight off Etsy. Before them, a spread of harvest-hued roasted vegetables and that same fish, arranged on plates made from what looks to be huge, deep green cruciferous leaves. Then the scene cuts to a family of four sitting around a table.
First, a whole freshwater fish, surrounded by glossy green leaves and plumes of steam, emerges from an underground smoke pit, where it’s been gently roasting over smoldering coals. It could even be the illustration of Gwyneth Paltrow’s weeknight dinner tips. One of the opening scenes of A Quiet Place, the new horror film that’s a legitimate box office phenomenon, looks like a shot from a hip-but-wholesome Instagram influencer.