Paddy (James McAvoy) in Speak No Evil, directed by James Watkins.
By Riley Lovering Spencer
Speak No Evil is the remake of Christian Tafdrup’s 2022 film of the same name for the Sundance Film Festival in Denmark. This psychological thriller movie takes you along an increasingly dark and twisted story as it progresses. You watch as characters show themselves to not be who they say they are, and find yourself questioning at points the very nature of the truth.
Speak No Evil follows the story of Ben and Louise Dalton (Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis) and their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler). We meet the family on their vacation away from home, an American family who moved to Europe following Ben’s career. While on this trip ,they befriend a couple by the names of Paddy and Ciara (James MacAvoy and Aisling Franciosi) and their son, Ant (Dan Hough). The children get along quite well, despite the fact that Ant is unable to speak and the two couples hit it off well. Through their conversations, Paddy invites the family to come and visit them at their farm. Always a good choice in any thriller movie! lol
Within this film, James MacAvoy’s acting as Paddy is truly incredible. Watching a character between emotional extremes and unsettling, creepy remarks while seeming to always come back to a quiet almost friendly smirk. There are multiple times in the film where you can see Paddy’s “mask” break and a bit of the underlying emotions slip through. These moments add so much to the suspense within the movie.
While this movie is a thriller, there were many moments that I found myself laughing in my seat, not so much that it took away from the vibe of the movie but enough that it gave a space to breathe throughout the suspense. It felt like you were able to get a peek into the draw of Paddy and Ciara, and why Ben came to trust them so easily. Louise was not so quick to trust and, honestly, I don’t blame her one bit!
The scenes within the movie, and the cinematography of it as a whole, is GORGEOUS. The farm that Paddy and Ciara reside on is stunning (minus all the psychotic creepiness) and you can feel yourself being dragged into the world. From start to finish, you are walking alongside these characters as they struggle to find the truth about the people they are calling their friends, and try to survive their stay.
One thing I really enjoyed about this movie is how the story progressed. I found myself constantly second guessing whether Ben and Louise knew something was off or if Paddy knew that his guests had figured him out. I was on the edge of my seat many times and couldn’t tell 100% until things were fully revealed. I really liked the slow burn throughout the movie, which allowed for many small “odd” moments to continue to add up more and more until it finally hits its breaking point.
If you are a fan of psychological thrillers and enjoy suspense, I think you would have a good time watching this movie. The acting from the cast is amazing, and James MacAvoy’s performance as Paddy knocks it out of the park. From the outset, you are drawn in with the characters as they experience this man and watch as the cracks in his psyche start to show themselves. All in all, it is a solid thriller with enough suspense to keep anyone on the edge of their seat.
Speak No Evil is available in theatres now.
