Speak No Evil: The Danger of a Weak Man

The millstone husband will get you killed

When Speak No Evil came out earlier this year, audience sentiment was staunchly divided between those who preferred this new Americanized version and those who insisted the original Danish version (released only 2 years ago) was superior.

The thing is, I’m not sure it’s a fair comparison, as they were making wildly different statements. Hard to believe, since most of the plot points were identical.

The only real difference was the ending, as detailed by the Critical Drinker:

Despite the almost shot-for-shot remake, the makers of the American film had an entirely different message, one plainly painted by the events of the climax and of the closing shot.

I recommend watching the Drinker’s video so you can get a plot rundown and his take on it, but even if you don’t, you can see from the video title, he thinks the American version made a blunder. That it “missed the point” of the original.

It didn’t.

The original was a hideous critique of the specifically Scandinavian tradition of not making a fuss, of being accommodating, especially when a guest. Being a bother is apparently a cardinal sin in the North, which results in passivity and acceptance of poor behavior.

The movie just took it to the worst possible extreme, encapsulated by the closing line:

Bjorn: Why are you doing this?

Patrick: Because you let me.

In the remake, Ben also lets Patrick do all manner of things, stepping over every boundary. Why wouldn’t he? Ben never pushed back. Not even when his wife and child are threatened right in front of him.

It’s Louise, the wife, who takes a different turn in the remake. She’s the one who changes the ending. That was not an accident, nor was it a girl-power ra-ra moment.

The movie was a warning to women about the danger of attaching themselves to weak, passive men.

Marry one, or worse, bear his children, and you will be taking on a liability, one that may get you killed.