Speak No Evil movie storyline. On a vacation in Tuscany, two families — one Danish, one Dutch — meet and become fast friends. Months later, the free-spirited Dutch family extends an invitation to the more conservative Danish one for a holiday weekend getaway at their countryside home. However, it doesn’t take long before things gradually get out of hand as the joy of reunion is replaced with misunderstandings. The Dutch hospitality quickly turns unnerving for the Danes, and they find themselves increasingly caught in a web of their own politeness in the face of eccentric… or is it sinister… behavior.
Speak No Evil is a psychological horror thriller film directed by Christian Tafdrup from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Mads. It is produced by Jacob Jarek and is distributed by Nordisk Film. Filming took place in Denmark, the Netherlands and Italy, and most of the film is shot in English, with some scenes in Danish and Dutch.
The film centers on Bjørn (Morten Burian) and Louise (Sidsel Siem Koch), a Danish couple who are invited by Patrick (Fedja van Huêt) and Karin (Karina Smulders), a Dutch couple, to their country house for a weekend holiday; the hosts soon begin to test the limits of their guests as the situation escalates.
Speak No Evil premiered on January 22, 2022 at the 38th Sundance Film Festival. It was released theatrically in Denmark on 17 March 2022 and in the Netherlands on 21 July. The film won the “Best Director Choice” award at the 26th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the screenplay, direction and the performances.
About the Story
During their vacation in Tuscany, Bjørn and Louise, a Danish couple, and their daughter Agnes, meet Patrick and Karin, a Dutch couple, and their son Abel, whom they claim suffers from congenital aglossia, and is born without a tongue. A few weeks later, Bjørn and Louise receive an invitation from the Dutch couple to visit their remote rural house in the Netherlands, which they accept.
After eight hours of driving, the family arrives at their destination. During the first two days, Louise feels uncomfortable about the hosts’ passive-aggressive behaviors, such as Patrick’s ignorance about her vegetarianism, his abusive behavior towards his son Abel, or Karin’s swearing.
The hosts invite their guests out for dinner, but Louise is concerned because the children are not coming and have to stay with Abel’s babysitter, Muhajid. Her concerns are exacerbated at the dinner when Patrick challenges her vegetarianism, and the couple drunkenly make out in front of them.
After manipulating Bjørn into paying for the dinner, Patrick repeatedly plays loud music while driving under the influence, upsetting Louise. He enters the bathroom while she is taking a shower, and later observes the couple have sex. When Agnes’ calls to sleep next to her parents are ignored, Patrick takes her into their bed. After Louise finds Agnes sleeping on the bed next to a naked Patrick, she wakes her husband and the family leaves, only to turn back shortly thereafter, after Agnes realizes that her rabbit doll Ninus is missing.
Back at the house, they are confronted about their sudden departure by the hosts, who now act enraged and disappointed. Bjørn fails to be blunt, so Louise briefly expresses the things that made her uncomfortable. Karin apologizes, but challenges her on why Agnes must sleep in their bed in the first place. They eventually convince their guests to stay. The women work in the yard, while the men buy groceries.
On their way back, Bjørn and Patrick bond as the former attempts to explain how he often suppresses his emotions, compromising his true self. Patrick takes him to a beach where they practice screaming therapy. Later, when Louise cuts her finger in the kitchen, the couple discover that Patrick lied about being a doctor and is actually unemployed. After the dinner, the children perform a dance that they had practiced together; Patrick treats Abel abusively for his mistakes and throws a glass towards him, which results in Bjørn arguing with him.
That night, Bjørn discovers a cabin behind the house, and finds a collection of empty luggages and cameras inside. Amidst the collection, he also discovers numerous photographs on the wall depicting Patrick and Karin with other couples with young children on holidays, suggesting the Dutch couple’s pattern of deceiving families in order to murder them, abduct their child, cut off the child’s tongue, and use the “mute” child to repeat the cycle.
Speak No Evil (2022)
Gæsterne
Directed by: Christian Tafdrup
Starring: Morten Burian, Sidsel Siem Koch, Fedja van Huêt, Karina Smulders, Liva Forsberg, Marius Damslev, Hichem Yacoubi, Jesper Dupont, Lea Baastrup Rønne, drian Blanchard, Sarina Maria Rausa
Screenplay by: Christian Tafdrup
Production Design by: Sabine Hviid
Cinematography by: Erik Molberg Hansen
Film Editing by: Nicolaj Monberg
Costume Design by: Louize Nissen
Art Direction by: Jeanett Brahe, Jeanette Brahe, Floris Eysink Smeets
Music by: Sune Kølster
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: IFC Films
Release Date: September 9, 2022
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