FilmSnobReviews

Title: Speak No Evil
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Director: Christian Tafdrup
Starring: Morten Burian, Sidsel Siem Koch, Fedja van Huêt, Karina Smulders
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins

What It Is: A well-off Danish couple, Bjørn (Burian) and Louise (Koch) meet a charming Dutch couple, Patrick (Huêt) and Karin (Smulders), when on holiday. The Dutch couple have a mute son, who acts strangely, but otherwise they appear as idyllic and inviting as the beautiful landscape they invite Bjørn and Louise to. Against Louise’s better judgement due to Bjørn’s quiet lust over Patrick, the couple bring themselves and their young daughter over to stay with Patrick and Karin, only to find the red flags growing numerous as they are tested by how far they will let themselves be lead by the mysteriously rambunctious and unpredictable pair.

What We Think: I was intrigued by this film, as I’d heard good things. Right off that bat, you have suggestive imagery and a powerful, creeping score that suggests a great drama racked with heavy emotion and character insight. While there is some of that, there is still a lot left to be desired. I believe the framing of this film is all wrong and is far too close for comfort to the themes and situation of Funny Games / Funny Games US. It plainly recognizes the issue with the cultural, societal, and classist pressures to be ‘polite’ and fit in and takes it to an extreme, but for not much reason or redemption. You want to connect to our lead characters, the victims, but I just found myself not pitying or sympathizing with them–rather I was just annoyed and frustrated, even when at many points they could have turned around and left. The characters are set up to be interesting, having their own flaws, secrets, and sensibilities, but little is done with them or their potential other than having a fated destiny. Hubris and lust is a large focus of the film, but its nowhere near as felt as Funny Games, where it’s set up with a similar structure, but with far more emotional realism. In reality, you would trust these adult people to make the decision to stick up for themselves and leave long before anything real can go down due in the face of the most obvious gaslighting ever delivered, but they just continue to stick it out just to save face to these people they barely know? Not to mention they’re quite bland as characters as well. It tries to hammer in the punishment side of things, but I was just left feeling absolutely nothing, other than being vaguely bored and dissatisfied. It tries to play its hand at being artistic, with some lovely, admittedly powerful visuals (especially if you isolate them from the context of the film) and great performances all around, but its efforts leave it at just feeling too random and undeserved. I think the story should have been switched around, as we’ve seen stories of victims of kidnapping and manipulation, but this would have been far more interesting if being told from the rivaling Dutch couple’s point of view, if we could see why they do what they do, indulge more in what motivates them, and really make their characters more fleshed out as they should be the most interesting part of the film, and yet we barely know anything about them. In shorter terms, this film tries to evoke Funny Games, The Strangers, or even a twinge of Hostel, while I feel like it would have worked better and be a stronger piece if it took more of a House That Jack Built approach, coming more from the villains’ perspective.

 Our Grade: D, With an overbearing tone that promises more than what is to be found, this surface-level drama (thriller?) tries to play up a disturbing story using dull tools. A weak script and unsurprising story leaves so much more to be desired, and while it’s not a terribly directed film, it has nothing new to offer in the vein of family-versus-strangers-driven horror.  It sets up so much only to end on such a low, I couldn’t recommend it due to all the other films that tackle its themes with far more nuance and humanity. Honestly–this ended up feeling quite silly and least of all scary or intimidating.