Rating 7/10
American remakes of foreign horror films aren’t all bad. Take The Ring (2002), for instance—its version of Ringu (1998) not only improved upon the original but became a defining film of the 2000s. Similarly, Michael Haneke redid his own 1997 Funny Games into an American version in 2007. It garnered a mixed reception, but I bring it up because its focus on psychological torture is relevant.
Speak No Evil is another intriguing remake that addresses discomfort. Christian Tafdrup’s 2022 Danish thriller is remade by Eden Lake and Black Mirror veteran James Watkins. The film likewise pushes the boundaries of awkwardness. James McAvoy stars as the unhinged Paddy. He’s giving one of the best performances of his career.
Ben (Scoot McNairy) and Louise (Mackenzie Davis) Dalton are an American couple struggling with their marriage. They’re on vacation in Tuscany with their young daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler). There, they meet an aggressively friendly British pair, Paddy and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their son Ant (Dan Hough). After a pleasant evening, Ben and Louise accept an invitation to visit their remote country home deep in the English countryside. However, things go downhill from there. Once they arrive, Louise grows increasingly unsettled by Paddy and Ciara’s habits.
At first, the Daltons attempt to explain away these indiscretions to be civil. Paddy has their guests do things that make them uncomfortable but he is oblivious. He persuades Louise, a vegetarian, to eat meat. Later, Paddy strips down to his underwear and jumps off a cliff into a lake. He pressures the rest of the family to join him. Are these simply their British customs or a sign of something more disturbing? Their treatment of son Ant, who cannot talk, is more alarming. As tensions rise, Ben and Louise suspect something more sinister is afoot. Speak No Evil delves into the uneasiness of navigating cultural differences and our tendency to justify unsettling conduct due to social pressure.
James McAvoy delivers an effective portrayal of an alpha male with all the confidence and bluster the role requires. McAvoy’s ability to shift between charm and callousness makes him one of the year’s unforgettable villains. Ben initially seems to admire Paddy’s masculine energy. It’s understandable how he is lured into his space, but it grows cruel. McAvoy’s menacing performance transforms into a tyrant.
The dynamic between assertive Paddy and the passive Ben highlights two different behaviors, both of which become vexing. Actor Scoot McNairy is memorable as the beleaguered husband/father. Ben’s inability to support his wife time and again becomes such a problem it’s ludicrous. Just as in Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure, a husband’s failure to embody the traditional male role is observed through a darkly comedic lens. As both Ben and Louise bend over backward to accommodate their host’s quirks, it gets incredibly frustrating for the audience as well. Of course, that’s the whole point. The characters are trapped by their own politeness.
Speak No Evil begins as a thought-provoking study of cultural and class distinctions. It also examines the sexual roles within a marriage. However, things ultimately devolve into a conventional horror flick. All the subtlety and inciteful observations that came before go out the window. The film’s climactic confrontation offers a simplistic resolution. It fails to provide a satisfying conclusion to a promising exploration of human behavior. With that said, I was still entertained. The account kept me guessing until the very end.
09-12-24