OMM2024 - Night 5: Speak No Evil (2022)

It's catchup time! After a performance on Saturday and rehearsal Monday night, I've got to watch a couple movies to get back on track for this October Movie Marathon!

 

Night 5

Speak No Evil (2022)

8/10

A Danish family and a Dutch family meet while in Italy, the Dutch family invites the Danes to visit them at their house for a weekend.

 

This movie was uncomfortable, in a good way. Perhaps a little heavy handed in the music scoring- but they never let you have stable footing in this movie. You're always watching for the shoe to drop. The movie really takes it's time before letting you in on exactly what's happening- though you feel like something's amiss the whole time.

 

I only knew this was a movie where bad things would happen and that it was playing with the stereotypes of Danish and Dutch culture. Things like level of politeness, being a guest vs host, etc etc. And though I think I probably missed some more subtle things that were cultural based- this is still incredibly solid and comes across even if you're not familiar with these particular cultures.

 

Heads up for full frontal nudity (it's negative% sexy but it is there, and gets points for equal opportunity nudity).

SPOILERS BELOW THE POSTER!

SPOILERS START HERE

 

So this movie started off almost... goofy? The long drive in the dark with the loud scary music felt out of place, but then it got good. The characters felt stiff but real- like socially awkward people might be. the atmosphere was so tense I was actually yelling at the screen at some points because I KNEW something bad was going to happen. They had so many opportunities to leave! And they didn't!!

 

But let me tell you, I haven't seen a horror movie with such a bleak ending in awhile. I've seen movies where our protagonists don't get away and the bad guy is left to cause more problems, but this... this hit different. Maybe it's because it felt so... real. We don't get an explanation why, or even exactly how the Dutch couple gets away with everything. I mean, the kids getting being literally silenced is one thing, but they don't even hide the bodies? Or at least they didn't hide these ones. And they have an accomplice? We don't get to know the ins and outs of why they do what they do- but we get a drawn out, almost real time sequence of how the parents die. The stripping and walk down the hill... the stoning?? Ugh it made me shudder the whole time. Creepy and disturbing. Thank goodness I watched this alone- cause I was screaming at the movie at the end "Oh my God! No! Why? AHH!" And then we get that horrible last drive revealing that it's all going to happen again. *shudders* Big nope from me.

 

(As an aside, I think there might be a cultural touchstone with how the couple were laying at the end? The music and the ending painting over the credits makes me think I was supposed to relate that to something else, but I don't know). It was a good movie. That ending is going to stick with me for while, cause geeze... that's not okay.