On the surface, a title like Speak No Evil would appeal to a practicing Catholic.  After all, Jesus says in Luke 6:45, “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.”  A person, in other words, is known by their actions, be they verbal or otherwise.  This, incidentally, is one of the main divergences between protestants and Catholics.  They believe that to be saved is enough, albeit, and in keeping with the previously quoted Scripture, salvation starts in the heart.  For those of us who remain with the Church, that is only half of the equation.  We must translate that in-dwelling of God into deeds to build up His Kingdom here on earth in order to realize our place in Heaven.  If only today’s film were about doing good for the betterment of this world.  To be fair, it is not devoid of kindness.  For the most part, it focuses on a family’s desperate struggle for survival while trying to be as polite of houseguests as possible.  Intrigued?  Well, prepare yourself for a harrowing tale.

It is easy to Speak No Evil when you are on vacation in the Italian countryside, situated in a quaint hilltop village, and sampling the local cuisine and wine.  This is where the Daltons, eleven-year-old Agnes (Alix West Lefler) and her parents, Ben (Scoot McNairy) and Louise (Mackenzie Davis), meet young Ant (Dan Hough), Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) and Paddy (James McAvoy).  It is Agnes and Ant that hit it off first, though there is something noticeably wrong with the boy.  Paddy, a former doctor, explains that the young man has a malformed tongue, which explains the speech impediment.  As the two families get to know one another, Ben says the American family came to live in London when Ben was offered a job there, but the positioned was terminated before he had begun.  Though Louise had to give up her work, too, in the move, the Daltons decided to stay on this side of the Atlantic to be closer to Europe.  When Paddy hears of the Daltons country of residence, he insists that they come to visit his farm in the west of England.  Ben and Louise are taken aback by the abrupt invitation, giving the usual noncommittal answers in the face of uncertain motives.  Upon returning to London, Ben learns of another job that has turned him down, adding to his stress.  At the same time, they get a picture from Ciara and Paddy of them all together in Italy and a repetition of the offer to spend some time in their remote part of the British Isles.  Louise at first objects, but then changes her mind when she sees Ben’s agitation.  If you are reading to this point and thinking to yourselves that there have been a few warning signs not to have this weekend excursion, then you can count me with you in the same train of thought.  I am all for Christian charity, but sometimes it is okay to say no, too.  The Dalton’s yes take them to Paddy’s out-of-the-way homestead, which is admittedly in an idyllic setting.  Yet, the warning signs that something is wrong begin coming, slowly ratcheting up the tension.  I am not going to cover them all as that would be tedious, but I will give you some of them for the sake of context.  The first night at dinner, Paddy supposedly forgets that Louise is a vegetarian, directly feeding into her mouth a piece of goose meat from a bird they named, no less.  Louise takes it without argument, though surreptitiously spits it out.  The next day while on a hike, Paddy throws Ant into a lake to swim and basically ignores the boy’s struggles, stating he will either sink or swim.  Later that evening, the adults go out to dinner with Ciara and Paddy bring in a babysitter named Muhjid (Motaz Mulhees), a fifty-something Syrian civil war survivor who, supposedly, is a former teacher.  At their meal, Paddy gives the impression that he and Ciara have an open relationship, while she pretends to, er, do suggestive things to him under the table.  What finally gets the Daltons to act is when Louise wakes up in the wee hours of the morning to find Agnes in bed with their hosts.  The Daltons gather up their things as quietly as possible, get in their car, and leave.  Unfortunately, before they can get too far, Agnes discovers that her prized stuffed bunny, which gives her panic attacks when it is not in her possession, is missing.  Thus, they return to the farm and do their best to make excuses.  Ciara and Paddy are awkward as ever, but the Daltons decide to stay one more day when Ciara makes the excuse that she brought Agnes into her room because she had lost a daughter.  Later, Agnes and Ant show off a dance they wish to perform.  Paddy becomes enraged when Ant does not appear to do it properly.  Blaming it on alcohol, he goes to take a nap.  Ant takes this opportunity to show Agnes a secret compartment under the barn where Ciara and Paddy keep trophies, including pictures, of other families they have victimized.  One photograph shows Ant with another set of parents and tongue intact.  Agnes gets this all on her phone and shows it to Louise.  Feigning Agnes’ first period, they use it as an excuse to hit the road.  With a few more hiccups, including a flat tire and another toy bunny search, they begin to drive away.  This time they are forced to stop when they witness Paddy throw Ant into their pond.  Ben jumps out to save the boy, and the four of them are taken prisoner by Ciara and Paddy.  Ciara is forced to give their captors all their money, but uses a box cutter she sneaks into her possession to cut Paddy’s face and make it out of the garage.  From here, Ben and Louise hide Agnes and Ant and fight back against their would-be captors.  They succeed, too, with Ant dispatching an incapacitated Paddy with a brick before they finally escape.

Speak No Evil is a tense movie, and it is made that way because of the politeness of the Daltons.  Not that being civil is a problem, but they have other issues that complicate their behavior.  Their lack of employment is compounded by Louise getting inappropriate texts from someone else, and it is suggested that she might have been partly responsible for its reception.  They bring their marital strife with them, and it causes them to partially blame themselves for any difficulties they are having while staying with Ciara and Paddy.  There is not a shred of Christian sentiment in the movie, though being a good host is Scriptural and part of why the West holds it in such esteem even amongst atheists.  God created us to be good people, too, and as such we tend to give others the benefit of the doubt, particularly when we assume they hold the same ideals.  After all, there is the golden rule to consider, which also comes from the Bible.  I bring up these Christian philosophies to explain the Dalton’s behavior.  At the same time, there is a converse to these ways of acting.  As I mentioned in the introduction, it is okay to say no.  Then again, had the Daltons refused the invitation, there would have been no movie.  This all ties into the title.  At no point do either Ciara and Paddy, or Ben and Louise, say anything ill-spirited to one another.  When everything is revealed and Ciara and Paddy have everyone in the garage, Louise is asking what anyone would in such a situation: why are you doing this to us?  When we are faced with evil, we want to know why it is happening.  It is also acceptable to fight back, which they do in their own inexpert (but believable) manner.  They are reluctant to do harm unless necessary, which is as much as God or anyone could ask of us.  This all makes what Ant does in the end all the more disturbing.  It is a blessing that this obviously abducted and abused kid is able to escape his tormentors, but I pray the Daltons get the boy some help.

Another prominent theme in Speak No Evil is honesty.  There is a perfect Bible verse that sums up what goes on in the film.  Proverbs 11:5 states, “The justice of the honest makes their way straight, but by their wickedness the wicked fall.”  If the first part of that verse does not describe the Daltons, and the second part Ciara and Paddy, then I am unsure of what film I just watched.  This is not how it is presented, however.  It is the Daltons who have the secrets and Ciara and Paddy who live openly.  Paddy senses the problems Ben and Louise are having and is continually prodding them to be honest, with their hosts and each other.  Then again, had Paddy been upfront with all his activities, this would have been another reason for there being no movie.  Since he did not, it is Ben that is presented as having the most difficulty with lies.  He is lying to himself about the health of his marriage and his job prospects.  They are all brought to the fore when, just before they are about to leave the farm the second time, Louise admits that she doubts whether she will stay with Ben for the reasons just mentioned.  Though she later claims that she did not know why she said those things, it has a healing effect on Ben, giving him what he needs to act to save his family.  In other words, he receives healing, his “way” is made “straight.”  Honesty is a grace that can repair our relationships with each other and, more importantly, with God.  It is not present in the latter spirit, but I credit Ben and Louise finally being open with each other as giving them courage to succeed.  Obviously, the wicked, Ciara and Paddy, fall.

There are some moments in Speak No Evil that had me turning my head away.  There is not a lot of gore in the film, but I dislike seeing it and thus closed my eyes for a few moments.  There is also some foul language and suggestive moments, but no nudity.  Having said all this, it is a difficult watch, and I do not recommend it for anyone but the most stouthearted.  Even then, given the horrible nature of Ciara and Paddy’s actions, I am not sure I suggest seeing it.  I can take suspense, but I have my limits.