A Danish family visits a Dutch family they met on holiday. What was supposed to be an idyllic weekend slowly starts unraveling as the Danes try to stay polite in the face of unpleasantness.
Two months ago, Twitter exploded in controversy – as it is wont to do – with the emergence of #SwedenGate. Much of North America was unaware that it’s not customary in Finland, Sweden, or Norway to offer your guests food when you invite them over. In fact, given the socio-political context of having guests, it may be impolite to ask your host to serve you. It was a fittingly timely nothing controversy to have to occur before sitting down with Christian Tafdrup’s “Speak No Evil,” which takes some devastatingly cold liberties with the notion of cultural differences and just how far we’ll go to be hospitable.
It helps that Bjørn (Morten Burian) and Louise (Sidsel Siem Koch) meet Patrick (Fedja van Huêt) and Karin (Karina Smulders) on neutral territory, on vacation in Tuscany with their respective young children. When they return home, they find a postcard from Patrick inviting them back to Holland to stay for a few days. What ensues could be called a light comedy of manners. However, its more sinister intentions are mainly evident due to a particularly foreboding score by Sune Kølster that punctuates the banalest moments. It probably was enough of a warning when a character asks early, “What’s the worst that could happen?”
Cultural differences are one thing, but “Speak No Evil” heightens things too quickly. There are plenty of warning signs, including a child who was allegedly born without a tongue trying to scream at them and other things that’d make anyone on this continent call Child Protective Services. Instead, Bjørn goes to great lengths to explain away and rationalize what could only be seen as child abuse, or at the very least clear signs of it. Some things are entirely relatable about Bjørn’s inaction, a subtlety to his interactions with Patrick. The real suggestion is that the two are not that different, Dutch and Danish. When your host is watching you be intimate with your wife, however, it may be time to pack up.
Still, once “Speak No Evil” shows itself to be something much more sinister and cruel, while also far more logical than your run-of-the-mill serial killer, it still manages to devastate. The bitter, heartless conclusion is ripped from conspiracy theory headlines as much as real tragedy.
“Speak No Evil” recently had its Canadian Premiere at the 2022 Fantasia International Film Festival
