Film Review

Speak No Evil (2022) • Shudder

A Danish family visits a Dutch family they met on a holiday, but what was supposed to be an idyllic weekend slowly starts to unravel …

The Danish concept of hygee can’t be translated into one single English word. It encompasses a feeling of contentment and well-being through enjoying the simple things in life. There’s nothing more hygge than the warm atmosphere experienced through sitting around with friends and family. Unfortunately, that feeling is absent in the latest psychological horror from Danish filmmaker Christian Tafdrup. Premiering at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, Speak No Evil / Gæsterne is a harrowing exploration of social boundaries pushed to the absolute extreme.

Danish couple Bjørn (Morten Burian) and Louise (Sidsel Siem Koch) are on holiday in Tuscany with their young daughter Agnes (Liva Forsberg). While in Southern Europe, they become friends with a Dutch family of three: charismatic Patrick (Fedja van Huét) and Karin (Karina Smulders), vacationing with their son Abel (Marius Damslev). The two families enjoy each other’s company over fine…