Speak No Evil

Directed by Christian Tafdrup, Speak No Evil follows a couple (Morten Burian’s Bjørn and Sidsel Siem Koch’s Louise) and their young daughter (Liva Forsberg’s Agnes) as they agree to spend four days with another couple (Fedja van Huêt’s Patrick and Karina Smulders’ Karin) they met on vacation – with problems ensuing after Patrick and Karin begin displaying increasingly sinister behavior. Filmmaker Tafdrup, armed with his and Mads Tafdrup’s screenplay, delivers a slow-burn thriller that grows more and more compelling as it unfolds, as the movie’s first half is, for the most part, concerned with the seemingly innocuous happenings between the two families – with Tafdrup emphasizing the degree to which Bjørn and Louise are willing to accept their hosts’ overt self-centeredness. It’s worth noting, however, that Speak No Evil boasts a palpably ominous undercurrent even through its more placid stretches, as Tafdrup does an effective job of punctuating the narrative with off-kilter interactions and elements. (Sune Kølster’s creepy score certainly plays a key role in perpetuating the eerie vibe, to be sure.) And although the movie’s midsection does drag just a little (and some of Bjørn’s non-confrontational actions do strain the limits of credibility), Speak No Evil builds towards a completely captivating (and impressively disturbing) final stretch that’s as haunting as it is memorable – which ultimately does cement the picture’s place as one of the most unsettling horror releases to emerge in a while.

***1/2 out of ****