A new teaser for Speak No Evil depicts a holiday nightmare for two families. The Sundance critical darling is Christian Tafdrup’s (Parents) third feature film, and it follows a Danish and Dutch family whose chance encounter in Tuscany spurs a vacation to the Dutch family’s rural home for a weekend escape. In spite of the Dutch’s best intentions, tensions between the two families only escalate as they spend more time together. In the beginning, the trailer portrays the excitement of making new vacation friends, but that excitement is gradually eroded when the Danish and Dutch families meet at the latter’s house.
When you look at their way of life, you can quickly see that they are very different from yours. The Danish family is deeply traditional, and the liberalism of the Dutch family rubs them the wrong way. At first, Patrick (Fedja van Huêt) and his family’s hospitality come off as overbearing when he insists that Louise (Sidsel Siem Koch), a vegetarian, taste some of his wild boar. During their stay, the Danes grow unsettled by Patrick’s frequent outbursts of rage and the loud yelling they hear throughout the home at night. When the Danes make the fatal error of trying to depart without first saying goodbye, chaos ensues.
They are threatened by the Dutch family, whose initial generosity has become dark and nasty. The film is vague, making it hard to tell if the Dutch family is indeed dangerous or if the Danes are overreacting to a few strange occurrences and cultural customs. Nonetheless, the tension rises to the point that Patrick’s final words – “There is no compulsion on your part to remain. But if you do, you’re in for a fantastic day “— suggests a threatening warning rather than a kind wish. The cast of Speak No Evil also includes Marius Damslev, Liva Forsberg, Morten Burian, and Karina Smulders. Tafdrup’s brother Mads Tafdrup, who also worked with him on his last film, A Horrible Woman, authored the screenplay for the movie. Tafdrup is a prominent actor in addition to his foray into filmmaking; he starred in Susan Bier’s After the Wedding, which was nominated for an Academy Award, and in the BAFTA-winning television series Borgen.
He has also directed three short films in addition to his three feature-length works, one of which, Awakening, won the Robert prize (the Dutch equivalent of an Academy Award). Four Roberts and three Bodies have been awarded for his work in the feature category (Danish Critics Award). Immediately after its debut at Sundance, Speak No Evil was greeted with widespread critical acclaim, earning an 80% approval rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Therese Lacson, in her review, rated the film a C+ and praised the tense and uneasy atmosphere it established but panned the resolution. On September 9, Speak No Evil will have its theatrical debut for a limited run before making its way to Shudder on September 15.