SUNDANCE 2022 FILM FESTIVAL PREMIERE – I’ll just say this upfront. Speak No Evil has one of the grimmest third acts I’ve seen in any horror film in some time. It’s likely to shock viewers while sparking plenty of conversation. Yet, despite its bleak ending, so much of the film is satirical, even in some of its most uncomfortable scenes. The Danish movie has some major tonal shifts, but they somehow work.

Directed by Christian Tafdrup and written by him and Mads Tafdrup, the film follows a Danish family vacationing in Tuscany. Bjørn (Morten Burien), Louise (Sidsel Siem Koch), and their daughter Agnes (Liva Forserg) befriend a Dutch family, Patrick (Fedja van Huêt), Karin (Karina Smulders), and their son Abel (Marius Damslev). Months later, the Danish family receives an invitation to visit the Dutch family. Ultimately, they accept. Bad idea! Things go from bad to worse real fast.

It first starts with awkward and boundary-pushing moments, like Patrick serving meat during most of the weekend, despite Louise’s proclaimed vegetarianism.  He also enters the bathroom, even if Louise or Bjørn are using it. He even acts abusively towards Abel, who he claims has Congenital Aglossia, meaning he was born without a tongue. Yet, the entire time, it seems like Abel wants to tell the Danish family something if only he could.

The interactions between the families grow stranger, but they’re not without small doses of humor. At one point, Patrick pokes fun at Louise for saying she doesn’t eat meat but then admitting she eats fish, even though industrial fishing is also bad for the environment. As the film progresses, there’s a growing sense the Danish family is in danger. At one point, Patrick drives drunk. He swerves all over the road and cranks music at an ear-splitting level. It doesn’t matter if Louise and Bjørn protest from the backseat.

The first half of the movie is filled with these small acts of aggression towards the Danish family. The third act, though, escalates to a harrowing level of horror and violence. There are some big hints early on that Karin and Patrick aren’t who they say they are, but the eventual reveal of their true intentions is pure nightmare fuel. This all leads to a final 15 minutes that viewers will think about long after the credits roll. One scene is especially brutal. Some audience members won’t be prepared for it. I sure wasn’t. In one hair-raising and well-crafted moment, Bjørn asks, “Why are you doing this to us?” Patrick simply replies, “Because you let me.” It doesn’t need much more than that. Some people are simply evil, and sometimes, we don’t need much backstory or motivation.

While all the performances are fine,  van Huêt’s really stands out. He’s at times funny, other times chilling, and generally ever-present on screen. He’s a force here, especially by the third act. He can be comedic and scary in a single scene. Visually, the film is striking, too. Many of the interior shots are dimly lit, creating a sense of dread and growing danger. Contrasted to that are plenty of stunning exterior shots of gorgeous fields and sprawling land. It’s an interesting juxtaposition yet fitting for the shifts the movie takes.

Speak No Evil is very much a film about identity and how we want others to see us. Patrick feeds on this and thus lures an innocent family into a dark web. While Speak No Evil has satirical moments, its third act surprises and horrifies. This is the type of film you’ll immediately want to talk about after you see it, especially the ending. It lures you in with some of its strange and funny moments before eventually rendering you speechless with some moments of utter brutality.

Speak No Evil premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on January 21.

9 Out of 10