Warning: The following article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Speak No Evil (2024).Speak No Evil director James Watkins clarifies the relationship between Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi). In the movie, the couple are revealed to be serial killers who lure families into their house to kill them, except for the child, whom they cut their tongue off. The child is used to lure the next family into their trap, and they don’t know about Paddy and Ciara’s true nature until it’s too late.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Watkins spoke about the nature of Paddy and Ciara’s relationship. Stating that their relationship is rather dark and abusive, the filmmaker also believes that the two love each other and that both distinct elements seem to co-exist within the two. He also discussed how there is a sick irony with the couple, that they are deeply in love, while the couple, tricked by the two, is struggling without knowing their true nature. Check out what he said on the matter below:
Yeah, it’s complicated, isn’t it? There’s clearly a dark, abusive, coercive, problematic thing within their relationship, but there’s a love, as well. I think the two things can coexist, and James and Aisling wanted to play that and ground it. There’s an irony in that you’ve got the bad couple — and they are bad — but they love their relationship. They’re having a great time, and they have great sex and whatever.
And then the good couple is looking to them, because they are calcified and struggling. So, yeah, nothing is black and white, and without shying away from the horror, it’s also saying that two things can actually be true at once.
What Paddy & Ciara’s Complicated Relationship Means In Speak No Evil
The Two Are Madly In Love With Each Other & What They Do
Watkins’ comments on the nature of Paddy and Ciara’s relationship seem complex. However, the two are deeply in love with each other from the minute they appear on screen, signaling that there will be some tension between them and the couple they are luring, Ben (Scoot McNairy) and Louise Dalton (Mackenzie Davis). While Ben and Louise are having troubles in their marriage, Paddy and Ciara continuously show the couple how much they love each other. It’s one of the few aspects they don’t lie about in front of the Daltons.
Speak No Evil
is an adaptation of the 2022 Dutch film of the same name, which was directed by Christian Tafdrup and met with massive critical acclaim.
Conversely, the two also love what they do. They take great pleasure in befriending the family and gaining their trust, only for them to fully reveal themselves when it’s far too late for the people who Paddy and Ciara have fooled. In the climax, the two don’t hide their enjoyment of hunting the Daltons down to kill them. They eventually fail, but their pleasure in hunting down a couple and deceiving them is constantly palpable, which makes their relationship as black-and-white as Watkins says it is.
Our Take on Paddy & Ciara’s Complicated Relationship In Speak No Evil
Their Relationship Is Why They Succeeded For So Long
It’s because they love each other and enjoy every second of what they do that they can fool as many families as possible. That is, until the Daltons learn the truth and begin to fight back. Because Ant (Dan Hough) warns Agnes (Alix West Lefler) about Paddy and Ciara’s true nature, the Daltons can get rid of them before they harm anyone else again. It’s a massive departure from the original Speak No Evil‘s ending, but it gives the protagonists a chance to start again and leave this event in the rearview mirror.
Source: THR