Wow, that was AWESOME!
The first 90 minutes are serene, sublime.
The final 20 minutes are harrowing.
Great film for all you suspense and horror lovers out there!
Now, SPOILER ALERT, but as an interesting aside, Speak No Evil is a great example of "relational boundaries," or the lack thereof. McAvoy's character ("Paddy," short for "Dr. Patrick Feld") is a classic example of a crafty narcissist who cleverly chips away at his targets' boundaries ("Ben" and "Louise Dalton" as played by Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis, respectively) to see how far he can take both characters. In the particulate, some of these boundaries are benign, while others are transgressively malignant. In the aggregate, of course, their sum total becomes catastrophic. Here are the whopping 33 behaviors, moments, and interactions that push and push and push against Ben and Louise, ultimately testing the couple beyond that which is sustainable:
- Paddy drags the pool's chaise lounge reserved for Ben's and Louise's daughter ("Agnes," played by Alix West Lefler). Sure, he asks first, but the chaise has Agnes's towel, headphones, and stuffed bunny on it. Agnes is swimming, so she has no say in the matter.
- Paddy gives Agnes a ride on his moped—without a helmet, and WAY too fast.
- When visiting Paddy and "Ciara's" (played by Aisling Franciosi) farm, Ben and Louise are expected to sleep on dirty and obviously soil-stained bedsheets.
- Paddy cooks the beloved family's goose (literally) and feeds it to Louise, knowing she is a fervent pescatarian.
- Paddy smokes in a confined space, never asking whether Ben and Louise are okay with it. Moreover, it's marijuana he's smoking, not a cigarette.
- Neither Paddy nor Ciara attend to their son, "Ant" (portrayed by Dan Hough), despite his wailing and crying at bedtime.
- While Agnes is on a tree rope-swing, Paddy violently lifts Ant and all but throws him to the ground behind him. Louise is horrified by this first demonstrable show of violence, but turns away. Seeing her reaction and tenseness, Paddy gives Louise a neck massage.
- ...he does not ask permission to give Louise this neck massage.
- Paddy and Ciara take Ben, Louise, and Agnes to a swimming hole, "for cold-water therapy." But first, they must strip down.
- Paddy admires Louise and winks at Ben.
- Paddy grabs Agnes by the hand and leaps into the water some 25 feet below. Louise wonders if there are rocks, but too late.
- Ant cannot swim, but he, too, is forced into the leap and the swimming hole below. His life is literally in Paddy's hands, because if Paddy ever lets go, Ant will drown.
- Paddy gives the Daltons a broken hairdryer prone to sparking.
- Paddy and Ciara take the Daltons to a poacher's house for dinner. So remote, they are endangered simply by being there. They never know the address/location, just that it's "by the sea."
- Paddy speeds like hell to get them there, despite Louise's objections and car sickness.
- Paddy and Ciara role-play over dinner, crossing two sexual boundaries within 10 minutes. The Daltons are confused and rattled, but trapped in a poacher-turned-chef's home in the middle of nowhere, some 30 minutes past Devon.
- The babysitter arranged by Paddy to watch Agnes and Ant while the rest are at dinner is a male, undocumented political refugee who may or may not speak English. Paddy jokes, "But he's cheap, and if he pulls any funny business, we'll just have him deported!" Louise is not reassured, but goes to dinner nevertheless, having now trusted Paddy with her daughter on a moped and an unknown male.
- After the fancy remote dinner, Ben offers to split the bill, but Paddy gives "Mike," the poacher-chef, Ben's credit card. Stuck with the bill, Ben (who is unemployed) must pay it all or risk unknown wrath from Mike.
- Though Ant has a bed, the "bed" prepared for guest Agnes is a twin mattress on the floor in Ant's attic-room. Neither she nor Louise comment on this until the end of the film.
- Paddy hides Agnes's "worry bunny," a triggering event that dominos the film's plot for the remaining 45 minutes.
- While painting eggs as a craft project, mother Ciara says over Ant's head, "I think Agnes's are prettier, don't you?" Louise is speechless.
- During a car ride to a fox hunt, innuendos occur from Paddy toward Ben. Ben is uncomfortable but says nothing.
- Paddy teaches Ben to yawp, screaming his marital frustrations with Louise into the wind. This is clearly a crossed boundary, as now Paddy is privy to Louise's emotional affair with someone from work six months prior.
- While dancing the Cotton-Eyed Joe, Paddy berates, curses, and throws food at Ant for his poor sense of rhythm. We are nearing the final straw for the Daltons, but not there yet.
- When Ben asks Paddy and Ciara how they make money, Paddy admits to selling marijuana and more. In short, he's confessing to being a drug dealer. The roles of Mike and the babysitter ("Muhjid," played by Motaz Malhees) become clearer: poacher, fencer, and perhaps much, more worse, like kidnappers and traffickers.
- During brunch, Ciara corrects Agnes, insisting she chew with her mouth closed, eat her vegetables, and clean her plate. Louise remarks, "Please stop telling my daughter what to do." Paddy makes Ciara apologize, Agnes accept the apology, and Louise is then asked to apologize too!
- Ciara begs the Daltons not to leave without saying goodbye to Paddy: "Please don't leave. You must give [Paddy] a way to save face, otherwise it will be so much worse for me!" More emotional manipulation, this time by Ciara.
- As Ant tosses a football with Agnes, Paddy remarks, "His football is rubbish, isn't it?"
- The Daltons realize their Tesla has a flat, but do not confront Paddy.
- Entering the tool shed prior to fixing the tire, Paddy effortlessly corrals Ben in despite Ben's awareness that the door unlocks from the outside only. Paddy is predator, Ben is easy prey.
- Agnes sees Hoppy, the stuffed bunny, atop a roof some 20' high. Much of its stuffing has been removed. The "worry bunny" has clearly been torn to shreds. The Daltons say nothing; Paddy chalks it up to "some bird of prey, surely."
- Paddy grabs a huge ladder so Ben can scale to retrieve Hoppy. While doing so, as a "prank" Paddy jerks the ladder twice, nearly bringing Ben down to the concrete on both occasions.
- As the Daltons open the Tesla's doors to leave, Paddy hugs and overkisses Louise, all but nibbling on her ears.
If you see it, lemme know whatcha think!
