Speak No Evil (2022)

“Because you let me”

Merry Christmas everyone, I’m here today to absolutely ruin the holiday spirit with one of the most disturbing movies I’ve seen in a long time. After becoming friendly on vacation, one couple accepts the invitation of the other to visit their country home for a weekend. Danish director Christian Tafdrup wrote this story as a kind of “what’s the worst that could happen?” exercise, and the result is an nihilistic, biblical nightmare that would make Michael Haneke shudder.

So much of this film is a kind of psychological mind game about personal boundaries and the ethics of politeness. It’s incredibly frustrating to watch this movie, almost torturous, not because of any gore or on screen violence (there’s almost none), but because these characters keep ignoring red flags. They behave as if everyone is reasonable, as if everyone is just trying their best. But none of that applies when someone is intentionally trying to make you uncomfortable. And that’s the source of the horror here — someone who delights in violating another’s misplaced trust. Evil is choosing to inflict harm.