November Movie Pick: 'Speak No Evil' – Whatever Happened to Baby McAvoy?

 

Whatever happened to Baby McAvoy? This guy is ripped! He looks transformed, and yeah, it might seem like I turned on this movie just because of that—and you’d be correct. But I also watched the original a couple of years ago (my thoughts on the first one here). I really liked it and even declared that European cinema was alive and kicking. The darkness of that movie and the unsettling feeling I got from it brought me here. Yesterday, I thought, even if it’s bad, bad, bad, at least we’ll get to appreciate the buildup.

McAvoy went for it in this role—there were shades of all his personalities from Split, even Patricia! PATRICIA!!! Get it together, sweetie; we’ve got a review to do!

Spoilers!

I was prepared for the twists in the story, but these here were so satisfying they cured the trauma inflicted by the original movie two years ago. The original was so dark—the ending, the actors, the realism of the situation, and the feeling of no escape. The damage it left on me was enormous. But yesterday, director James Watkins and Blumhouse Productions reversed it. This movie follows the original very successfully in tone, location types, villains, and even the family that’s central to the story—up to a certain point. After that, it takes a different direction, almost like an answer to the first movie, which had a horrific finale. This one takes the devastation and transforms it into satisfaction without cheapening anything.

The unsettling, uncomfortable feeling is the same as in the first one, but some things are slightly changed to keep your attention—like the scene where they’re dining in this restaurant in the middle of nowhere, and the natural-born killers start to swing things in a way that completely creeps out Louisa (played perfectly by Mackenzie Davis), but her husband seems like he might enjoy it. I mean, the fake blowjob Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) is giving her lover Paddy (our joyfully twisted McAvoy). That scene is slightly different, as many are, but it conveys the same notion: the killers are pushing these people’s boundaries, expecting them to crack under pressure and reveal their true selves. But it takes strength to stand up for yourself. Like Paddy told them at the end, answering their question, “Why?”—because you let us. This type of commentary, super exaggerated and screaming in your face, is finally toning down and taking shape in my mind. This is basically life in general on steroids and speed.

In life, there are certain interactions and behaviors that just pile up on you. Either you’re too afraid to acknowledge the situation because you don’t want to escalate, or you’re too polite to say anything. And like in real life, there’s a breaking point where the truth comes out. McAvoy was not only the breaking point here but also a kind of seeker of truth. The movie tackles the need for lies but also the need for liberation and not settling for less than what you deserve. Growing up, I was a hardcore liar, like most gay men in my generation and before. We learned early that our queerness deviated from what was considered “normal” at that time. Because of inflicted shame and trauma, we hold onto the truth until it explodes into various future problems, like alcohol and drug abuse, which serve as a momentary liberation, an escape from the personas we once created. Lies have meaning and cultural significance. If you want to understand what I’m talking about, watch the fifth episode from the first (and only, for now) season of The Sandman on Netflix. In a dinner scene, the entire episode explores the need to keep some things to yourself and not always be truthful—in an incredibly dark way.

Here, Paddy, the darkest of them all, swings both ways, as suggested in the original, and Ben (Scoot McNairy) almost bends to the idea, captivated by McAvoy’s new dominant physique, which makes him as sexy as he is disturbingly disgusting. What’s up with that? Is this another trauma I should unpack soon? Whatever, I wished they’d gone in that direction, exploring the male bond, but that would have changed the movie too much, adding too much color to these straightforward psychopaths. The subtle play between the "straights" was satisfying enough. I wonder if the lesbians spotted something between the women? Let me know; most of the movie, I was so distracted by McAvoy’s bulge and the possibility of the film taking another direction that I could’ve missed some details.

Nevertheless, the movie was surprisingly good. I didn’t expect a simple copy to have both the familiar vibe and the distinctiveness this one has. The finale, as satisfying as it is, cured the trauma the original imposed, and now I can go on with my life, waiting for the sequel.

Iliya Badev