Soft & Quiet Review: A Stomach-Churning Nightmare Feature Debut - Collider

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Perhaps for critics who are farther removed from the violence on Asian Americans these past two years, Soft & Quiet is a just a disturbing-but-eye-opening ride from promising director Beth de Araújo, but by the time I finished Soft & Quiet I felt like I had just run a marathon then had a heart attack and then gotten beaten up and left on the street. It is bold of SXSW to feature a film with so much racial violence at a time when Asian women are quite literally being followed and stabbed in their homes. Or maybe that was the point? Even in the hands of a filmmaker who clearly understands the risks posed to women of color, as a woman of color herself, there are moments that make me wonder: Who is this movie for?

When Soft & Quiet starts, we follow Emily (Stefanie Estes), a school teacher who is preparing to host a meeting with other similar-minded women in her community. Who are they? The Daughters for Aryan Unity. Complete with swastika-carved pies and talking points like "All Lives Matter," the first part of the film is antagonistic but not necessarily shocking in any way. It's probably a commentary on the state of the world today to say that what Emily and her repulsive friends spew is not exactly a surprise.

But this passive type of racism, where women just gripe about their "brown" co-worker getting a promotion or suggest making a list of all the "illegals" in the area, is soon kicked up ten notches when Emily and her group are kicked out of the church they're holding their meeting in. A horrified pastor demands to Emily that they clear out and she plays it off as time for a change of scenery, "Let's go back to my place for wine!" she proclaims, before leaving the mess of her gathering for the church to deal with. From this point on, you're on a roller coaster and this is the ascent to the peak. By the time Emily and her three friends encounter sisters Anne (Melissa Paulo) and Lily (Cissy Ly) in their local convenience store, we've made it to the top of the coaster and are about to go careening downhill with absolutely no brakes.

soft-quiet-stefanie-estes — Image via Greta Zozula | SXSW

Fueled by their furious hate and rage, they openly sling slurs and posture aggressively at the two mixed-race Asian sisters. When Lily and Anne fight back with a few barbs of their own, the white women are scandalized and infuriated. Emily is clearly the ringleader of the bunch, but whereas she might have started the film saying, "We are the best secret weapon that no one checks at the door because we tread quietly," she clearly had no idea where her night would end. Feeling provoked by the sisters, the group comes up with a plan to go to Anne's home and play some "pranks". But when Anne returns home sooner than expected, the prank soon turns violent, deadly, and becomes quite painful to watch.

Araújo is certainly a talented filmmaker, shooting the entire film in one take. And while that trick is difficult to accomplish and adds to the tension of the film, it's also not exactly groundbreaking and Soft & Quiet might have actually benefited from some cuts. It's hard sometimes not to view the one take as a gimmick. Although it's a feat of camerawork to be sure, it also makes the camera an obvious participant in the film. There were a few moments when the film slipped into the world of handheld vlogs because of the transitions between locations by car.

soft-quiet-stefanie-estes-2 — Image via Greta Zozula | SXSW

The night follows Emily and her friends and, therefore, invariably puts us in the shoes of these abhorrent people. While Paulo and Ly are great as Anne and Lily, respectively, we hardly see them. They exist as the victims of these white women. I wondered again, by the end of the film, who was this film made for? In a country that is politically divided, it's hard to imagine Araújo's work will change minds. For those extreme racists, this might play out like a sick and twisted fantasy too horrendous to utter. For people, especially women, of color, this will play out as our worst nightmares. Don't we already know how far Neo-Nazis and political extremists will go in this country after January 6th? If this film is an example of how people can become radicalized by hate and how rage can snowball into violence, it's hardly subtle or nuanced.

I can certainly praise the film for its performances. Stefanie Estes is remarkable as Emily, teetering on the brink of a meltdown but trying to keep everything in control. The same goes for Olivia Luccardi as the incredibly aggressive Leslie, a new member of the group and an ex-con. Her character, though unbearable by the final act, is a compelling foil to Emily's. The two are clearly from different socioeconomic backgrounds, and it shows in the moments they bump up against each other. I can certainly praise Araújo for her ambition and cinematographer Greta Zozula for her fantastic camera work. At the end of the day, Soft & Quiet shows a shocking and unbelievable series of events that are meant to cause a reaction and leave the audience with thought-provoking questions. This is not a film for the faint of heart, and might just leave you a bit shell-shocked in the aftermath.

Rating: C+

Soft & Quiet premiered at the 2022 South by Southwest festival.

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About The Author

Therese Lacson (23 Articles Published)

Therese Lacson is an editor for Collider. You can also find her work at Comics Beat, Nerdophiles, and Film Inquiry. When she's not writing you can find her playing video games, reading birth charts, and appearing on podcasts!