★★★★

A knot loops itself into formation early on in Speak No Evil, James Watkins’ Devon set remake of the 2022 Danish original by Christian Tafdrup. It’s a simple tie, a mere clove hitch, and hidden beneath a veil of geniality. Sure enough, the film’s first thirty minutes or so are genuinely very funny. Knowing, witty and surprisingly scatological. And yet, as things progress, as the peril rises and hints of shade give way to a staggering pit of darkness, the knot tightens. All too late, it’s got you. The loop opens up and in you fall. It’s no longer a clove hitch. It’s a hangman’s knot.