Speak No Evil Will Make You Squirm and Scream

Christian Tafdrup explained in his introduction to Speak No Evil that he set out to make it the most unpleasant experience.

Speak No Evil with Tafdrup's warning/apology/enticement ringing in your ears will not be seen by many who watch it. It's almost impossible since its early scenes take place on an idyllic family vacation in Tuscany, but the first clues are carefully sprinkled in: the opening shot of a car on a dark road, the menacing music cues that come out of nowhere, and the twinge of suspicion that a friendly stranger The heads of a couple from the Danes are excited when they meet Patrick and Karin.

Bj is lurching toward a sad-sack midlife and/or existential crisis based solely on the fact that his comfortable life is boring. Burian's quiet but textured performance in particular gives Speak No Evil its emotional backbone, as he is a man who feels emotionally unfulfilled despite having everything, and he is quite obviously in awe of the charismatic, successful Patrick.

The tension is already building by the time the Danes arrive, but it is subtle, built through passive aggression and then, once Patrick and Karin re-enter the picture, some superbly deployed. On their Italian vacation, Louise had a discussion with the couple about being vegetarian, which makes it more than a little awkward when Patrick announces he's cooked a roast for their welcome dinner, and insists Louise try the first piece.

Being too nice and/or wimpy to speak up, something not-so-subtly hints at by the film's title, becomes Speak No. They are kind of weird and rude and cruel to their son, who was born without a tongue, because of the condition.

Speak No Evil makes the viewer cringe with its torture as the impulsive weekend getaways head into a downward spiral. As the screws tighten onscreen, it becomes harder and harder to not scream at Louise and Bjorn to stop being so polite. Though most of the movie relies on psychological terror rather than gore, the story does build to a climax likely to be the most shocking scene in any movie this year. If you dare, you can witness this carefully observed, crafted, and completely nasty dive into the depths of human awfulness.

Shudder will have Speak No Evil at some point in the future.

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