If The Office was about the comedy of awkward, uncomfortable moments, then you could say that Speak No Evil deals with discomfort as a growing terror.
A Danish couple, Bjorn and Louise, are on holiday in Italy with their young daughter, and for a few days, become “vacation friends” with a Dutch couple, Patrick and Karin, who seem to be another average nuclear family (except for their little boy, who is mute and withdrawn).
A few months later back home, the Danes receive an invitation to visit their new friends for a few days. On arrival in the land of windmills, their hosts are attractive and friendly, but Bjorn and Louise have to navigate moments that are annoying and off-putting—plus, they just have a feeling of that they really don’t like these people.
But it’s only a weekend visit. How bad can it get?
The film, directed by Christian Tafdrup, only has one episode of gore (though it’s a whopper). The terrible revelations come near the very end of the picture. The film grips you (even from a computer screen) in growing uneasiness.
This is a Midnight classic—aimed at the primal fears of families, spouses and parents.