Speak No Evil: A Smart Movie Without Many Ideas

Christian Tafdrup's Speak No Evil suffers from a peculiar disconnect. Many of its more minor and intimate details are immaculately crafted to spring out without warning and hit you with a surprising and sinister whallop, but the larger story itself sorely lacks this same care, and I for the life of me cannot figure out how someone could polish the details of a movie so blindingly bright while skimping on the bigger picture and letting it too often regress into blatant, almost-traced familiarity. Still, Speak No Evil can sparkle like a diamond at its best, and I'd be remiss to ignore the obvious talent I see here.

The polished details of this movie shine undeniably brightly, and Speak No Evil smartly carves out some time in its first act to sit with and explore a cast of well-acted characters in the calm before the storm. James McAvoy's performance as Paddy, the patriarch of this strange family out in Devon, is in every last way the uncontested standout. His portrayal of this peculiar and sometimes-sinister man swings like some riveting pendulum, and it felt to me as if the movie was daring me and the friends I was watching him with to call his bluff without ever promising he was even bluffing in the first place. Still, much of the characterization in this movie sputters out before going anywhere meaningful, and I never sensed that I was getting to know anyone other than Paddy better, even if Speak No Evil does feature impressive acting from all involved, with McAvoy as the crown jewel.

Much of the ire directed at modern horror has to do with its being populated by some painfully brainless characters, and another thing I liked about Speak No Evil is its willingness to address this trope head-on. This movie is basically a string of ignored red flags, and while it doesn't do anything remarkably or even remotely fresh with this premise, I admired the methodical pace with which it carries itself, how it directly speaks to our endless politeness as a society, politness we're too afraid to give up even when refusing to do so can hurt us or hurt those close to us. It's not as scary a movie so much as a wildly uncomfortable one that raises a good point: we as a society will go to ridiculous lengths to try and be polite even when it's extremely clear that something is amiss. We'd rather ignore flaming red flags and potentially put ourselves in harm's way than possibly offend somebody. And all in all, this fleeting thoughtfulness is a bright spot amidst a level of similitude supported by some good acting, supremely uncomfortable suspense, and a story that is a simple but rickety wagon for paranoia that still does enough to carry this movie to an unremarkable, if tense, ending.

While never remarkably fresh, the storytelling selections of Speak No Evil recite much of the same story we've heard time and again with undeniable skill, while also preying on my worst enemy as an American: politeness. This is a movie where courtesy can be costly and deference can be just as dangerous as any killer. Granted, it is an American adaptation of a Danish film of the same name, falling into the same category as Let Me In, an all-too-similar American remake of the excellent Swedish vampire drama Let The Right One In. And neither does it do anything new aesthetically, an effect even Let Me In didn't suffer from. When put in a vacuum, its story is smart. Nevertheless, it's a movie without much ingenuity to speak of. Don't expect many surprises from it, but if it's the passage of time and moments of sheer, unadulterated tension you want, then that is what Speak No Evil can deliver.

Speak No Evil - 7/10

Psalm 118:6-8