5 Lupita Nyong'o films to watch ahead of A Quiet Place: Day One

Lupita Nyong'o is leading the upcoming film of the A Quiet Place franchise titled A Quiet Place: Day One. The third film in the franchise goes back in time to explore the events that followed when the alien species with amplified hearing first invaded New York City.

Directed by Michael Sarnoski who co-wrote the first film of the franchise with John Krasinski, A Quiet Place: Day One takes viewers back to the events of the first day of the alien invasion, and how people devised ways to survive their onslaught.

While much about the plot has not been revealed, the official trailer sees Lupita Nyong'o fall into shock as flaming objects fall out of the sky and into New York on a seemingly normal afternoon.

Nyong'o looks like she has put in a memorable performance, as she has done in several other films.

---

Us, and 4 other best Lupita Nyong'o films to watch before A Quiet Place: Day One

1) Us (2019)

Us features one of the finest performances by Nyong'o as she gave a memorable duo lead performance. The Jordan Peele film saw Nyong'o reunite with her Black Panther co-star Winston Duke.

The official synopsis reads:

"Adelaide Wilson and her family are attacked by mysterious figures dressed in red. Upon closer inspection, the Wilsons realise that the intruders are exact lookalikes of them."

---

2) 12 Years a Slave (2013)

12 Years a Slave put Lupita Nyong'o in the spotlight for her performance as Patsey. She did justice to the role of Patsey, an enslaved woman who is sold to a brutal plantation owner played by Michael Fassbender.

The Academy Award-winning film by Steve Mcqueen is a biographical depiction of Solomon Northup (a free African-American man kidnapped and sold into slavery). Nyong'o won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in this film.

The official synopsis reads:

"When two men offer Solomon Northup a fortnightly job as a musician in the US, he gladly accepts the offer. But on reaching his destination, the two men drug him and lock him in a slave prison."

---

3) Black Panther (2018)

This 2018 Marvel film was a monumental hit and is the fifth Marvel film to cross the $1 billion revenue mark. Although the plot centers around the late Chadwick Boseman's character, King T'Challa/The Black Panther, Lupita Nyong'o plays a focal role in the film too.

She plays Nakia, an undercover spy from Wakanda who is also T'Challa's former flame. She plays a strong supporting role in the film and even reprised the role in the 2022 sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

---

4) Queen of Katwe (2016)

Queen of Katwe is a brilliant biopic film where Lupita Nyong'o plays the role of Nakku Harriet, the mother of Phiona Mutesi, a girl from Uganda who went on to become a chess prodigy.

Directed by Mira Nair, the film departs from the general nuances of a sports film and presents sports drama in a unique manner. The film is based on an ESPN magazine article by Tim Crothers about the life of Phiona Mutesi.

Mutesi grew up in the impoverished neighborhood of Katwe and struggled on her way to becoming one of the best chess players in the world.

---

5) The 355 (2022)

The 355 is a female-led action film directed by Simon Kinberg. Lupita Nyong'o plays the role of Khadijah Adiyeme, a former British MI6 agent as she is joined by other spies to attempt and stop World War III from beginning.

The ensemble cast of the film also includes Penelope Cruz, Jessica Chastain, and Diane Kruger. The film offers a blend of comedy along with action-packed sequences. Although it is one of Nyong'o's lowest-rated films, it can be watched solely for the action sequences and the star-studded cast.

---

Catch Lupita Nyong'o the new protagonist in the A Quiet Place franchise when A Quiet Place: Day One releases across theaters on June 28, 2024.