‘Speak No Evil’: A terrifying vacation in the country

James Watkins’ “Speak No Evil,” an American remake of the 2022 Danish film of the same name, is a slow-burn condemnation of overly polite culture; it’s filled to the brim with simmering discontent and knot-in-your-stomach discomfort.

The film centers on two couples: the Americans Ben (Scoot McNairy), Louise (McKenzie Davis) and their child Agnes (Alix West Lefler) and the English Paddy (James McAvoy), Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) and their child Ant (Dan Hough). The couples meet and make fast friends with each other on an idyllic retreat in Italy.

Soon after, Paddy and Ciara invite Ben and Louise to their secluded farmhouse in the English countryside. Almost immediately upon Ben and Louise’s arrival, microaggressions, miscommunications and passive-aggressive digs fly between the two couples.

As the tension between the two families continues to rise, Watkins contrasts those mounting tensions with stunning wide shots showcasing the natural scenery and gorgeous architecture surrounding the conflicting couples. These contradictory shots only up the ante by elevating the farmhouse setting from cramped to maze-like, making the main characters and the audience feel even more trapped and tense.

The tension between the couples is masterfully paced by Watkins’ script, providing plenty of uneasy conflict while relentlessly notching up the discomfort felt by the audience and the characters to the point of being almost unbearable until the tension finally boils over in the final act.

The actors all play their roles exquisitely. McNairy and Davis provide so much realism to their role as a troubled married couple, casting quick looks and having silent conversations with just their eyes and facial expressions. One could easily forget they are not a real couple.

McAvoy plays the antagonistic alpha-male Paddy with unbridled emotion and performative acts of love. McAvoy’s hyper-masculine performance is brilliantly punctuated by bursts of ferocious anger, making the audience flinch and pushing them even further on edge.

McAvoy also has a subtle, magnetic charisma in his performance, adding needed depth to the boisterous Paddy and cleverly making the audience want to like him despite his rougher edges.

Franciosi’s empathetic portrayal of Ciara balances out McAvoy’s ticking-time bomb Paddy. Although admittedly underwritten and underdeveloped, Franciosi added some depth to her character by playing with the audience’s perception of Ciara, forcing the audience to wonder if she is complicit in her husband’s shenanigans by choice or by force.

Abuse serves as a main theme for the story, with the narrative structure being lifted directly from abusive relationships. On several occasions, Ben and Louise can escape the increasingly hellish vacation and yet, much to the chagrin of the audience, return every single time.

Ben and Louise are trapped not only by their geographic seclusion, but also by their need to be liked and viewed as good parents, partners and friends. This need drives the main point of the movie: At what point do your intuition and survival instincts outweigh your need to be polite and fit in?

While the audience may get frustrated and cuss out the characters in classic horror movie trope fashion, I argue that if most people were honest with themselves, they would likely respond to the pressures in the film the same way the main characters do.

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Watkins’ “Speak No Evil” is a faithful adaptation, hitting the same beats as the Danish original. However, whereas the original ends on a decidedly bleaker note, Watkins adds a 20-minute-long final act.

Impressively, Watkins’ gambit to make the film more palatable for American audiences with a slightly happier ending pays off and, surprisingly, does not water down the meaning or intensity of the film. Rather, it sets itself apart from the original without devaluing the characters. I would argue that it even adds more depth to the characters while providing a more satisfying conclusion to their arcs.

Overall, “Speak No Evil” is an impressive remake that carves out its own path as a gripping and intense thriller. Easily one of the best of the year.

Rating: 8/10

normane@miamioh.edu