"Speak No Evil," directed by James Watkins, was released in theaters on Sept. 13. This film is a remake of the 2022 original directed by Christian Tafdrup and Mad Tafdrup. Thrilling and full of dark humor, this film features James McAvoy as Paddy and Mackenzie Davis as Louise.
A family visits Italy on vacation where they meet a British couple and become acquainted with them. This family gets invited to the couple's estate which is in the beautiful country. They bring their daughter along with them on this adventure and what should have been a wonderful vacation quickly becomes a nightmare.
Highs
The highs within this movie are surrounded by the acting of McAvoy; he played the perfect psychopath. The characteristics he showed through his character were impressive. There were a number of scenes where his character Paddy turned from happy to angry within seconds. Paddy possessed two different personalities: a nice happy doctor and an angry abusive father. McAvoy's performance made the film into this intense thriller.
Another high was the suspense and how it kept building; this kept the audience intrigued. The building of a light happy family on vacation at the beginning into a distressed family trying to escape the horror. The plot twists in the film were captivating, but the real truth behind this creepy British family was shocking.
The acting of Davis as Louise is notable considering the character's growth. She was a wife that was trying to maintain a happy family even when she was having marriage troubles. She becomes a mother who is brave and will fight to keep her child safe regardless of if it gets her killed in the process. She played the perfect strong mother, while her husband is quite the opposite.
The setting of the film was beautiful, taking place in a country estate. The house was huge and had multiple rooms that were hidden, it was like a farmhouse mansion.
In addition, the children's acting was also impressive. Anges (Alix West Lefler) was the child who couldn't live without her stuffed bunny. Her character growth as a child was performed beautifully. She was a scared little girl, but throughout the movie she becomes braver as she discovers the truth behind the couple Paddy and Ciara. Their child Ant (Dan Hough) could not speak because his tongue was too short. Hough showed the true emotions of pain that his character Ant was experiencing. Not being able to speak the real truth and being silenced took away his freedom.
Lows
There were minimal lows in this film. The main low was the father Ben as he was a miserable man. He would not stand up for his wife on multiple occasions. He seemed afraid of Paddy and would rather protect himself than protect his family. His wife was protecting their family way more than he was, she was stronger. And when it came to his daughter, Anges, he would always make fun of her for having a stuffed bunny. She was attached to this bunny and he was not happy about it.
One other low of Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) as a mother was her lack of capacity for remorse. She sided with Paddy every time her husband mistreated Ant, refusing to take any action to assist the youngster. She would let her spouse control her, even when she showed signs of fear in front of the American couple. She appeared to be mentally sick in a few scenes in the movie. Rather than raising her son, she preferred to raise Louise's daughter.
Verdict
"Speak No Evil" is worth the watch because of how suspenseful and intense it is. The plot is intriguing and keeps the audience attentive. This film is rated R for some strong violence, language, some sexual content, and brief drug use.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10.
Mariam Fakhreddine is a film and theater reviewer for The Eastern Echo. She has worked as a news and features reporter for The Echo for two years.
