Speak No Evil Movie Review: A familiar yet effective psychological thriller

In writer-director James Watkins’ psychological thriller Speak No Evil, American couple Louise and Ben Dalton and their daughter Agnes befriend Paddy, Ciara, and their son Ant during their vacation in Italy. The other family invites the Daytons to their farmhouse for a week-long getaway. Louise warns Ben of the perils of spending a week with a couple whom they barely know. However, the unsuspecting husband finds it the perfect opportunity to hit the refresh button amid unemployment and with doubts of infidelity clouding his mind. Eventually, the seemingly idyllic getaway becomes a nightmarish experience for the couple as they slowly start to discover a sinister nature beneath the charming exterior of Paddy and Ciara. The film may not break new ground in terms of plot, but it tells a suspenseful story about the darker side of humankind and the vulnerability of people in unfamiliar situations.

Director: James Watkins

Cast: James McAvoy, Scoot McNairy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi

Even a seemingly adorable family can have dark secrets and odd norms. It is a delight to watch how the host family's behaviour becomes increasingly controlling and unsettling in Speak No Evil. James McAvoy plays Paddy like only he can in a role tailor-made for him. The way his eyes move throughout the film is suggestive of a predator who always scans the periphery to pounce upon the prey when the opportunity arises. Always circumambulating and often conniving, McAvoy gradually unleashes the beast within him while showing signs of a broken man with a problematic past. He personifies evil but also retains the vestiges of an ordinary human being somewhere underneath. The film does not entirely ride on his shoulders, though.

It also shows interesting dynamics between Ben and Paddy as well as Ben and Louise. Ben interprets Louise's comment about their infrequent sex life as a veiled insult to his masculinity, particularly after witnessing the other couple's intimate act. This scene makes the countless sequences where Ben almost looks up to Paddy as a sex symbol more impactful. You realise that Ben harbours a secret admiration for Paddy, for the ‘man’ he is, while remaining unsuspecting of the animal that lurks beneath his disarming facade.

Watkins’ film delivers effective chills over cheap, superficial thrills while never trying to reach the bloodlust of a teen slasher film. It also shows parental influence on their child's development. The fact that Agnes Dalton (Alix West Lefler) is more mature, observant, and quick on her feet shows the kind of upbringing she has. And the fact that Ant (Dan Hough) is not entirely blind to the folly of his parents’ ways makes you wonder what between nature and nurture is more important.

Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis play the Daltons with a great sense of understanding and empathy, the kind you see between couples who have been together for years. For example, when Ben breathes a sigh as Louise warns against getting close to strangers, she immediately agrees to the getaway, understanding that it is what he ultimately wants. The actors make the simmering marital tension among them quite palpable in the latter portions while delivering convincing turns as the film starts to explore their primal urge to fight or flee. It is also fascinating to see Aisling Franciosi playing Ciara as a woman who is as much a victim of a toxic marriage as a perpetrator with a penchant for violence. She also becomes a force of nature at the end as the film becomes a nerve-wracking cat-and-mouse game.