How ‘A Quiet Place’ and ‘Bird Box’ Symbolize the Crippling Anxiety That Comes With Being New Parents

Debra Minoff and Susannah McCullough of The Take insightfully tackle the threads that connects the two films A Quiet Place and Bird Box. While both movies deal with the loss of a specific sense (sound and sight), the larger commonality is the crippling anxiety that comes with being a good parent.

Both are allegories of parenting. These movies are looking at how parenting is an experience of fear whether the terrors are age-old, specific to today’s society or part of an apocalyptic future. The fundamental challenge of parenting is learning to manage the fear. To be a competent parent is to ensure your child’s survival.