SIFF 2022 — #3

There’s a way to make repugnant and off-putting movies where they mean something in total and all their mean-spiritedness contributes to a holistic design and meaning. No such luck in Speak No Evil, a movie that is mean and ugly for the sake of it, and has few redeeming characteristics. We ought to have a non-tacit trust established in a horror movie, where we understand that the creator is going to work with harsh pieces and put together a puzzle that ultimately has a clean finish and says something about the characters or what they’re doing in the world. But Speak No Evil just happens. It’s just an ugly story that happens and there’s no rhyme or reason for it. The characters are not well defined. They seem to be directed to act with emotion but it’s impossible to tell why. There’s always just something off and then the situation is bad and then it’s short and it’s over and you get nothing out of it. Despicable.