Dir. Christian Tafdrup | Now Streaming On: Shudder | Rating: 3/5

Another buzzy one on filmstagram, Speak No Evil promised an unnerving and dark social satire. I guess if you lean heavily into its delivery as a social satire – this film feels a bit more successful. Though this climax did get a good gasp out of me, this film overall is slow and hits you over the head with what feels like “fake deep” comments on human nature. ⁠
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Boon Joon-ho set a new, and somewhat unattainable standard, of social satire in horror with his 2019 masterpiece Parasite. Speak No Evil straggles behind in this same vein, but instead of addressing wealth and status, takes a stab at the length we go for the comfort of strangers. We watch, almost painfully in my opinion, Bjørn and Louise compromise their values and beliefs to remain polite and kind to their hosts, despite being morally against many of their actions. ⁠
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To quote Noah Kahan – I’m mean because I grew up in New England. The stereotype that we are unapproachable and unfriendly in the northeast US is mostly true from my perspective. Maybe that’s why culturally from my worldview, I couldn’t really relate to how much our main couple feels the need to appease their hosts. ⁠
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This is a very slow burn to the climax, which is haphazard and rushed compared to the lengths of exposition whose only purpose is to hit us over the head again and again with how foolish these people are. I was waiting for someone to say “It’s a metaphor,” during the screaming therapy scene. ⁠
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Overall, Speak No Evil does deliver a shocking climax and symbolic ending, but it’s pacing and heavy handed allegory made me roll my eyes a bit too much for my liking. ⁠
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Know Before You Watch: Features nudity, sex, gore. ⁠