Cinema has a certain way of evoking real feelings in the audience. It could be due to the deconstruction of a character caused by a fantastic performance, or it could be due to a single frame. Be that as it may, behind the camera someone is trying to make you feel something. Sometimes we experience movies that feel unique, unbearable and unrepeatable.
Then there was a collective commotion Christian Taffrups Speak no evil was released. Reactions varied. People loved it, hated it, and mostly just questioned it. It awakened in certain audiences something almost impossible to suppress, which makes sense given that it is a portrayal of absolute fear. But it’s not the fear we’re used to when we refer to horror; this is much more mundane, almost normal.
We’ve all been there
In Speak no evil, a couple is on holiday in Europe with their daughter. Their journey seems to be joyful and almost innocent. The husband and wife have some hiccups in the way they communicate, but they are acceptable for the sake of fun and leisure.
Bjørn and Louise meet Patrick and Karin, who also have a child traveling with them. Abel was born without a tongue, but that doesn’t stop the couple’s daughter from playing with him. It clicked between the families. This is a newborn friendship, born of fun, admiration and chemistry.
Patrick and Karin invite Bjørn and Louise to spend a few days at their house. The naive couple hesitates and finally accepts the invitation. Unlike the usual ‘cabin the woods’ type horror movie, the audience doesn’t yell at the screen to signal them, as there’s nothing dangerous about the visit. Sure, their behavior is very, very disturbing, but dangerous? No. What’s the worst that could happen?
Descend willingly
And the worst happens. We won’t reveal much about it, but Speak no evil is a terrible story about the dangers of trust in the modern age. It’s fascinatingly simple. A couple accepts a relationship with a family of friends, and they fall victim to something so dark that there are no reasons for it.
However, the film’s formula is austere enough to stay within the walls of drama and realism. Bjørn and Louise are not part of a sick game that starts right away. This isn’t it Funny games. They like to go, they like to stay. They accept that they are part of something cryptic that only shows its true face at the end. However, it is not yet too late. It’s what keeps us in shock because they don’t open their eyes and see.
But see what exactly? We, the audience, know they’re in a horror movie because of a poster and possibly a trailer. But the director insists on keeping us grounded and avoiding a suspension of disbelief with the normal clichés of horror. Speak no evil is not so much a horror film as a human story with a descent into the gruesome side of humanity.
Spoiler alert! Stop reading if you want to go blind Speak no evil
Nihilism at its best
Evil does not explain itself Speak no evil. The hint is simple: monsters commit monstrous acts because their victims make them do it. In shock, and waiting for certain death, the ideal pillars of society sit and expect nothing but violence. They die and their flesh meekly mingles in a symphony of blood and trauma that is visually unforgettable.
Speak no evil does not hold back the public because it portrays a message of absolute nihilism. A version of pure evil sitting next to you on a bus, restaurant or plane. Not just in the universe of the movie, but in absolute reality. We all have the ability to be animals, but most of us simply decide not to be.
Sometimes you think about watching movies again. You want to discover more and more about what you just saw and take a deeper dive into an approach you liked. Speak no evil is a horror masterpiece, but we can guarantee that you won’t pass the chance to see it again. It plays itself out in your head for days, weeks and even months. In one scene, you grab onto something to hold you back, reliving the experience of encountering monsters. Real.
You can stream Speak No Evil on Shudder.