User reviews

Seen during the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

This probably isn't the best review you'll read as it's been a while since I've posted anything. However, for this film, I'm happy to make the effort.

Words cannot describe how uncomfortable I felt watching the film. The social awkwardness, miscommunication and remote setting make this a very uncomfortable movie to watch. Not to mention the last 30 minutes, where the film turns from a psychological thriller to a twisted horror with horrendous graphic violence (I mean that in the good sense).

I was not yet familiar with Christian Tafdrup's work, but he is definitely putting himself on the map with this film.

Suitable for: People who don't want to sleep at night and have had a lot of fun watching movies like Hereditary and Midsommar.

Not suitable for: People who are going to watch this with their partner. You will get bruises and tears will flow.

PS. I'm from the Netherlands myself, and we're not that bad. As long as you do what we say.

Sometimes the true horror lies in the awkward sneaky uncomfortableness that slowly ratchets into the nearly unbearable. The place where passive-aggressive steadily becomes aggressive. A slow burn becomes pure hell. Funny Games meets Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.

Horror is my life, from z list splatter to the arthouse. However, a film that truly makes me uncomfortable is a rarity. As someone with social anxiety, this was my idea of torture. It may not be for everyone, but the crawling tension and discomfort was horror enough for me. Speak No Evil fully proves that Hell truly is other people.

The film has a great start. The WTF moments start to appear here and there and you get on that "what the hell is going to happen" ride and you enjoy it as a viewer and you think you are in for a treat. The first part of the film has plenty of these to drag you in, leave your room and be there with them and feel those subtle signs that something is very wrong and then I hated it, worst victims ever.

1st half - it was so uncomfortable to watch that I loved it; 2nd half - the victims have ruined that amazing atmosphere built in the 1st half.

Overall, I am just disappointed because it had the potential to be a great horror film without ghosts, evil spirits just mean intentions and pure terror.

It's a 6 for me just for the 1st half.

An uptight couple are invited to spend the weekend with another couple they befriended on holiday. As the movie's ominous score will let you know, things get weird.

Many have compared this to Michael Haneke's work, but it's no pale imitation. Shot composition, camera and lighting is all excellent. The sound design is superb - subtle and very detailed. Everyone acts well.

Apparently, some people dislike the film because there is no 'common sense' or whatever, but I saw a movie that uses plot contrivances to illustrate its meta-narrative points of parenthood, cowardice, selfishness and heroism.

I almost gave it an 8, but it could have gone even further with its cruelty and explored the themes more. There was stuff left to do.

If you want fun and thrills - avoid. It's slow, bleak and heartless. But if you want an intelligent, well-structured and thoughtful horror movie, it's a good 'un.

Slow, manipulative, lies, provoking, ambivalent, awkward, tough watch, pure evil.

***This movie is based on danish culture, and I can understand why some people wouldn't know whats going on or what the point of the movie is. But I will try to make an effort and explain it in short terms***

First of all the movie takes it's time building up suspension. It knows how to manipulate the audience, and it works. Especially if you are danish. The danish couple in this movie acts like most danes normally would in awkward situations. It makes the movie very realistic. The danes would be polite as long as they only FEEL something is wrong. A bit naive maybe, and I think thats what the director is trying to tell us. The danes tend to feel safe, cuz they live in one of the most safe countries on earth and therefore they normally wouldn't be suspecious or think people would harm them. They would see the misunderstandings as culture differences and try to be polite and get the best out of their stay. They wouldn't see that they were being manipulated.

In the first half of the movie the danes gets the sense that something is wrong with the dutch family, but they won't let it affect the mood. But when they SEE something wrong they begin to speak up. The second half of the movie is where the crazy things begins to happen. It's a tough watch, so consider yourself warned.

An increasingly unnerving & uncomfortable psychological horror that invokes an air of unease from its opening scene and ultimately descends into an inescapable nightmare, Speak No Evil hints at dark machinations at play even when nothing is happening and makes deft use of the genre elements to deliver a film that's wicked, unforgiving, gut-punching & downright nihilistic.

Co-written & directed by Christian Tafdrup, the premise is simple but the setup isn't hurried as Tafdrup takes his time to acquaint us with the families before disturbing details start surfacing. While it isn't difficult to figure out where the plot is headed and how the unraveling events may play out, it doesn't make the ride any easier as the sense of discomfort only escalates with zero respite.

Brimming with an atmosphere that builds up quietly and is smothering in its intensity once the intentions become clear, the film also benefits from its disconcerting score that forewarns the audience of awaiting malice with its foreboding tracks. The actors chip in with solid inputs but the Danes making awful choices even after several red flags does hurt our investment in them and it only gets worse later.

Overall, Speak No Evil intends to shock, provoke & upset its viewers with its brutal take on the extent to which people choose to stay polite in the face of misdeeds & unpleasantness and at times end up playing an incriminating role in their own torment. And the film takes that idea to the extreme in the finale which will frustrate some. In short, this Danish chiller is a harrowing blend of The Strangers, The Invitation & Funny Games.