Speak No Evil, starring James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis, is the American remake of the Danish horror film from 2022.
That original, written by Christian and Mads Tafdrup and directed by the former, offered the kind of psychological horror that makes you feel genuinely uncomfortable.
It is about a Danish family that is befriended by a Dutch one while on holiday in Tuscany. Later on, when the Danish are invited by the Dutch to spend some time with them in their home in rural Brabant, the mood soon turns unpleasant, with the host couple dishing out the kind of minor transgressions that make the others feel more and more awkward. Part of the plot concerns the Dutch people’s son, who doesn’t seem to have a tongue.
It’s a weirdly intriguing movie, that turns genuinely nasty in the second half and is definitely not for the faint of heart, even though (or maybe: because) the violence is mostly psychological.
Produced by Jason Blum, the Hollywood remake has the benefit of a larger budget, even though the technically proficient movie still - like most Blumhouse productions - probably (as Scott Mendelson would say) ‘won’t have to break the bank to break even.’
It is now about an American family (played by Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy with Alix West Lefler as their 11-year old daughter Agnes) living in London.
After their Italian holiday they go to visit their new found British ‘friends’ (James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi, with Dan Hough as Ant, the boy who can’t speak) at their country house in Devon in the lovely looking West Country.
(So it’s like a double episode of the BBC’s afternoon programmer Escape To The Country, but then, you know, different.)
Speak No Evil is directed by Chris Watkins, who has made movies like Eden Lake (2008), The Woman in Black (2012) and Bastille Day (2016), and who wrote the new script based on the original by the Tafdrup Brothers, while Christian is credited as an executive producer.
The first half of the story is basically the same, with the filmmakers doing a good job in preserving the spirit of the original, even if it feels a bit more like a satire on the value that we place on social conventions than the uncomfortable family drama of the original.
I was particularly impressed by James McAvoy, who as Paddy is a powerful presence, the kind of jerk who can effortlessly lure you in with his charm, before - just as effortlessly - turning into a giant asshole slash role model for toxic masculinity.
Paddy is one of those guys who will constantly tell you that you can’t say shit anymore, even when doing so, like, all the time.
Mackenzie Davis is also quite good as the uptight vegetarian Louise, who is put off by Paddy and his meddling wife Ciara (Franciosi) almost immediately, while her frustrated husband Ben (Mc Nairy) still wants to give them the benefit of the doubt.
After a while it becomes clear that their marriage is in trouble, which at times seems to color their judgement. The children take a more pro-active role this time round, with Ant trying to warn Agnes and the girl voicing concerns about the boy’s well-being.
The biggest changes compared to the original take place in the second half, taking the movie into a more familiar good vs evil direction.
In the last half hour Speak No Evil becomes a quasi (and quite violent) Home Invasion movie, with Ben and Louise finally standing up for themselves. The action is actually pretty good, but it’s like that section seems to belong to a (different kind of) movie.
Also, even the simple possibility of a different outcome changes the perspective of the narrative, with less consequences placed on previous actions for some, and more for others. Which changes both the dynamic and the meaning of the movie as a whole. (Sorry, if that sounds a bit woolly, but I don’t want to spoil too much).
It’s a creative choice but for me it’s a jarring one. And that’s a shame, cause even though the movie certainly has its qualities, in the end it comes in a peg below the original.
Note: Speak No Evil is released in most of the world this week, with countries like France and Germany to follow next week.
As a bonus (for new and perhaps some of my older subscribers) I include my review of the original version of Speak No Evil, that I published earlier in the year.
With an American remake slated for September, I watched the original Speak No Evil by Danish filmmaker Christian Tafdrup. This psychological horror movie will make you feel genuinely uncomfortable.
It starts out with a situation that’s easy to identify with: while on holiday in Tuscany and sitting by the pool you are approached by another holidaymaker, who asks if he can borrow that extra lounger on which you just happened to put your stuff.
Before long you strike up a rapport and when you meet again later in the village where you are staying, you find yourself going out for a nice dinner with your wife and child and his family.
This is how a fast friendship begins - and usually ends. But when the Danish couple Björn (Morten Burian) and Louise (Sidsel Siem Koch) later receive a postcard from the Dutch duo Patrick (Fedja van Huêt) and Karin (Karina Smulders) with the invitation to spend a weekend with them in the province of Brabant, Björn in particular feels obliged to accept.
Louise has her reservations from the start, and that's also one of the strong points of the film: Louise is a bit of a whiner. That is why as a viewer you are inclined to condone the whims of Patrick and Karin. Patrick who turns up the music way too loud in the car, Karin who does not have a proper spare bed for the Danish daughter Agnes (Liva Forsberg), who also has to sleep in the same room as Abel (Marius Damslev), who for some reason doesn’t seem to have a tongue.
Abel is petulant and doesn't seem to care for any company. But hey, no matter how strange the situation may seem, there's no reason to run away right there and then. These are the annoyances that you can expect when you go to visit people you hardly know.
The first hour of Speak No Evil, written by brothers Christian and Mads Tafdrup and expertly directed by the former, consists mainly of uncomfortable family drama, complete with the kind of cynical dialogue that the four top European actors know how to handle just fine.
The Tafdrups also add nice touches, like the use of Dutch cult classic Saturday Night by Herman Brood during a pleasant evening out in a local restaurant, where mainly meat dishes are on the menu, one of the many things that upset vegetarian Louise.
While Karin begins to treat Agnes more and more like her own child, Björn looks to Patrick as an ally who allows him to let out his own pent-up frustrations, arising from the straitjacket of civilization in which he sees himself languishing.
Christian Tafdrup, who also works as an actor, based his third feature film - after Parents (2016) and A Horrible Woman (2017) - partly on his own experiences, even if they probably didn’t end as badly as they do here.
With Speak No Evil, Christian and Mads Tafdrup wanted to make a statement against culturally correct behavior that causes civilized people to put up with all sorts of unpleasantness and little transgressions without daring to stand up for themselves.
Speak No Evil bridges the gap between Ruben Ostlund's satirical drama and Ari Aster's folk horror. The sympathy that you will feel for the characters despite everything that’s going on, makes the gloomy and even sadistic horror of the last part even harder to swallow.
Note: Speak No Evil is available through various streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Google Play Films.