The three wise monkeys, with one covering his eyes, one his ears, and one his mouth, are known by their names Mizaru, Kikazaru, and Iwazaru. They are a cultural icon with their roots in Japan and represent the adage, “See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil.” They represent the moral virtue of remaining upright in the face of evil. Yet, this most ancient totem is also used in the exact opposite way.

A person may not be held accountable if he does not see, hear or speak of wrongdoing. This ancient Japanese symbol also holds linguistic puns within itself, which will not be discussed here, but nonetheless – there is much more to these monkeys than one might first notice.

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Likewise, Speak No Evil, which premiered at Sundance, is a thriller with much to dissect. Speaking during a panel at Sundance, the Tafdrup brothers, Mads and Christian, stated they intentionally set out to make a disturbing film. One of the brothers noted:

Speak No Evil: The Plot

One of the Tafdrup brothers continued on the same panel about how the idea for their film came to be. He explained that a few years ago, he and his girlfriend were on holiday, and they met an odd Dutch couple who invited them to their house in Rotterdam. They declined, but the encounter sparked his curiosity. Christian said:

“In the process of writing, my brother and I had promised each other to make a disturbing film […] We shook hands, and agreed to make the most unpleasant experience for an audience, ever.”

According to the official summary, two families — one Danish and one Dutch — meet and quickly become friends while on holiday in Tuscany. Months later, the more traditional Danish family is invited to spend a long weekend with the free-spirited Dutch family in their country home. The delight of reuniting is quickly replaced with miscommunication, though, and things rapidly spiral out of control. The Danes feel that the Dutch hospitality suddenly becomes unsettling and that they are becoming increasingly entangled in a web of their own politeness as a result of the eccentric — or is it sinister? — behavior.

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David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter commented that “there are frequent hints of the influence of Michael Haneke’s original Funny Games. […] Seeing Bjørn and Louise’s faces dissolve from passive uneasiness to abject terror is bone-chilling stuff.”

The reviews of the film from Sundance keep specific plot points well hidden, ensuring a tense ride for the audience. The official trailer gives hints as well. The mood and feel of this film will immediately bring European film fans to Let The Right One In. (Not the American remake, but the original Swedish film that was shocking and brilliantly told.) Perhaps the far Northern European countries with their long dark winters make for such moody and engaging stories?

Speak No Evil: The Cast

     Shudder

As mentioned above, the writers and director of Speak No Evil are Christian and Mads Tafdrup. Mads is best known as a writer and actor for A Horrible Woman (2017) and 2018’s Parterapi. Christian, however, has quite a long list of credits as both an actor and director. He is most known for 2008’s Awakening and his many TV appearances, notably Tinka og sjælens spejl (2022) tv series in Denmark.

Only slightly less well-known are Morten Burian and Sidsel Siem Koch. They play Bjørn and Louise, respectively, and each has a decent amount of TV and film credits in Denmark. Burian Koch both have mostly TV credits, yet the critics that saw the Sundance premiere seem to agree that the acting in this thriller is top-notch.

The antagonists in this thriller both have extensive credits, including film and theatre. Karina Smulders plays Karin, and her husband, Patrick, is frightfully played by Fedja van Huêt. Smulders has been a staple of Dutch television since she was 16 years old and cast in Onderweg naar Morgen. Van Huêt has been seen on stage playing the title character Macbeth and is also a staple of Dutch television and film with many awards. He appeared in the Oscar Award-winning film Character for Best Foreign Language Film, 1998. Both give a chilling and exceptional performance, say the critics.

Last but not least is Marius Demslev, a Danish actor best know for roles in Becoming Astrid and Når støvet har lagt sig, who plays the antagonist’s tongueless child.

Release Date

The US release date for Speak No Evil is set for September 15th, 2022, exclusively on the Shudder streaming network.