Speak No Evil

Think only David Lynch can make a POV night drive through some secluded woods frightening? Think again as Writer/Director Christian Tafdrup, working alongside cinematographer Erik Molberg Hansen, and editor Nicolaj Monberg create a slow burn of psychological terror in Speak No Evil, now out thanks to IFC Midnight and Shudder, where it streams beginning September 15th.

"everything in Speak No Evil works to create the most unsettling horror film of the year"


Filled with brooding moments which turn to sheer horror, Speak No Evil is also a biting social satire as a Danish family, while on vacation, become instant friends with a Dutch family. Consider it: Louise, Bjørn, and their daughter Agnes alongside Dutch travelers Patrick, Karin, and their son Abel, a boy who doesn’t speak, who strike up a friendship in Tuscany. Their unexpected connection is almost immediate. Best friends for life, you know? It’s believable.

Yet, it is where this film leaves us which have you shaking with fear.

Months later, the Danish family are invited out to visit the Dutch family in their house. But things go wrong pretty quickly. This family isn’t who they pretend to be at all. And, yes, the dinner is ALWAYS on the Danish family’s wallet. Something is not right here at all. And, to think, it all begins with asking to borrow a chaise lounge by the pool.Speak No Evil

How long can you remain polite when faced with impoliteness? Speak No Evil is a brutal film about human deprivation, yet in that brutality is a social criticism which lingers on in the soul as the audience is routinely asked just how far will your accommodations go when hosting or being a guest and, ultimately, excusing the behaviors of other people . . . even to the point of self-harm.

Starring Morten Burian, Sidsel Siem Koch, Fedja Van Huêt, Karina Smulders, Liva Forsberg, Marius Damslev, Speak No Evil takes the Dutch and the Danish families on quite a ride as their discussion on their similarities gets flipped on its lid later on after they are invited to stay with them in their house. Suddenly, all bets are off as this Dutch family is hiding something really, really strange. From minor inconveniences to the ultimate in bizarre happenings, Speak No Evil has it all and it takes its time with its ultimate shocker.

To say more would be to spoil this slow burn of a horror, but it is definitely worth being uncomfortable. So many things feel wrong, yet everything in Speak No Evil works to create the most unsettling horror film of the year.

5/5 stars

 
Film Details

Speak No Evil

MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime:
97 mins
Director
: Christian Tafdrup
Writer:
Christian Tafdrup; Mads Tafdrup
Cast:
Morten Burian; Sidsel Siem Koch; Fedja van Huêt
Genre
: Horror | Thriller
Tagline:
A film by Christian Tafdrup.
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor:
TrustNordisk
Official Site:
Release Date:
New York and Los Angeles theaters September 9, 2022 via IFC Midnight. Streams Exclusively on Shudder on September 15, 2022
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:

Synopsis: On a vacation in Tuscany, two families – one Danish, one Dutch – meet and become fast friends. Months later, the free-spirited Dutch family extends an invitation to the more conservative Danish one for a holiday weekend getaway at their countryside home. However, it doesn't take long before things gradually get out of hand as the joy of reunion is replaced with misunderstandings. The Dutch hospitality quickly turns unnerving for the Danes, and they find themselves increasingly caught in a web of their own politeness in the face of eccentric…or is it sinister…behavior.

Art

Speak No Evil