In 2024’s horror remake,Speak No Evil,Ciara briefly explains why she is part of Paddy’s sadistic plans, yet it is hard to decipher whether she is telling the truth or faking it.Speak No Evilis arecent horror filmthat is based on a Danish film of the same name. It follows an American family who goes on vacation and meets a charming British family. Later, when they are asked to stay at the British family’s home, they accept. Yet,something sinister lurks underneath the Brits' enthusiastic charismaand idyllic countryside home.
It is revealed inSpeak No Evil’sendingthat Paddy and Ciara are not a fun-loving couple, but a pair of kidnappers and serial killers. With cues provided by Ant, Louise and Ben discover that Paddy and Ciara systematically befriend wealthy families on vacation, then persuade them to come to their home. There, the British couple murders the adults and takes their child as their own. Worst of all, they cut out the tongue of their young victim so they cannot reveal what happened to them. However,Paddy and Ciara’s story isn’t entirely clear-cut, especially following Ciara’s “confession.”
Ciara Claims She Was Paddy’s First Victim In Speak No Evil
What Paddy’s Origins Might Have Looked Like
There is a moment inSpeak No Evilafter Paddy and Ciara’s plan has been revealed where Ciara makes a shocking revelation. She desperately tells Ben and Louise that she is also a victim. In fact,she was Paddy’s first-ever victim, and has since been pulled into his schemes against her will.Although this story isn’t explored in much detail for the rest of the movie, Ciara’s claims are interesting. If they are true, they set up quite an intriguing picture of Paddy’s serial killer origins, and where she fits into the grand scheme of it all.
Every Red Flag In Speak No Evil That Ben & Louise Ignored
2024’s Speak No Evil follows an American couple who spend a week with their new British friends, only to discover a number of worrying red flags.
AlthoughSpeak No Evilshows the current reality of Paddy and Ciara’s crimes, the movie doesn’t offer much context to how this murderous scenario began for the couple. It is clear that the pair have been doing this for a while based on the number of items they have locked away under one of their outhouses, yet audiences can’t help but wonder if their crimes were always the same.There could be a chance that Paddy committed other murders in his youth, before he met Ciara. Likewise, perhaps Ciara also had a violent streak that made her Paddy’s perfect partner.
Ciara & Paddy’s Age Gap Makes The Victim Twist Believable
Ciara & Paddy’s Relationship Timeline Explained
One part ofSpeak No Evilthat makes Ciara’s story more believable is the age gap between the characters. According to Paddy and Ciara, the pair have been together for 17 years. However, it is also important to note that, based on the actors' ages (James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi)Paddy and Ciara have a 14-year age gap. McAvoy is 45, while Franciosi is 31.If the characters' ages are the same, that would mean thatCiara was 14 when she and Paddy got together. Paddy would have been 28. No matter what, this is obviously a completely inappropriate relationship.
If the stories about Ciara’s childhood are also true, then there is a chance Paddy adopted Ciara out of foster care, leading to an even more upsetting dynamic between the two.
In this way, Ciara’s story makes sense. PerhapsPaddy already had violent and disturbing tendencies as a younger man, which led him to manipulate a teenage Ciara into a romantic relationship. If the stories about Ciara’s childhood are also true, then there is a chance Paddy adopted Ciara out of foster care, leading to an even more upsetting dynamic between the two. Yet, it would explain why Paddy and Ciara always keep their victims' children. The origins of their relationship could provide some important insight into why they commit their specific crimes.
There Are Signs That Ciara Is Abused By Paddy
Ciara Is A Victim No Matter What
Another aspect ofSpeak No Evilthat backs up Ciara’s story is the abuse she faces at the hands of Paddy. Although the couple put on constant displays of affection towards each other, there are obvious signs thatCiara is being abused by Paddy. When the families go cliff jumping, Louise notices a gnarly bruise on Ciara that she plays off as a random slip and fall. Paddy also verbally abuses Ciara. One particular moment is when he forces Ciara to apologize to Agnes and Louise after she scolds Agnes for eating with her mouth open.
The originalSpeak No Evildoes not seem to include a notable age gap between its version of Paddy and Ciara, Patrick and Karin.
What becomes abundantly clear through these moments is that Ciara is not only abused, but obedient. She does not fight back against Paddy’s violence, and in fact, seems to be entirely complacent about it. This hints that Ciara has likely been under Paddy’s thumb for many years and is completely loyal to him, regardless of what he has done to her. In this way, whether Ciara was Paddy’sfirstvictim or not, she is definitely a victim.She is completely in Paddy’s control through violence and domestic abuse, and this makes her just as much of a victim as Ant.
Why Ciara Could Be Lying About Being Paddy’s First Victim
Why Ciara Stays Loyal To Paddy
Ciara’s shocking reveal could easily be a lie. When she tells this tearful story, it’s at a moment when she is looking for mercy from Louise. Louise has the upper hand and Ciara needs to find some leverage. Therefore, positioning herself as a victim makes her look weak and unassuming. If Louise had believed this story,Ciara could have taken advantage of her pity and gotten back in control of the situation. Yet, even then, Ciara could have been telling the truth in some capacity. Perhaps she was Paddy’s first victim, yet she doesn’t necessarily see herself as a victim.
What makes Ciara a different kind of victim is that Paddy is probably all she has. WhereAnt watched Paddy and Ciara murder his parents, Ciara presumably had nothing before Paddy. She was in foster care and faced constant upheaval in her family life. In this way, when she met Paddy, he likely became the only family she had. She relies on Paddy, and probably truly loves him. Therefore,Ciara’s story is both truth and fiction. It seems likely that she was one of Paddy’s first victims, but she likely does not put herself in the same category as Ant.
What Speak No Evil’s Director Has Said About Ciara & Paddy’s Relationship
Paddy & Ciara Have A Twisted Romantic Relationship
The strangeness ofPaddy and Ciara’s relationshipis not just present in the film, but has been confirmed bySpeak No Evil’sdirector. In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter,James Watkins spoke about the dynamic between Paddy and Ciara. He said, “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…” Watkins went on to describe howPaddy and Ciara are clearly evil, but their romantic relationship is arguably thrivingin certain areas such as intimacy and general co-existence.
Why Ant Can’t Speak In Speak No Evil 2024
The true reason why Ant can’t speak in the 2024 remake of Speak No Evil highlights the horrifying lengths the film’s villains will go for their plan.
Thus, Ciara and Paddy are not very easy to figure out. WhileSpeak No Evilis focused on their murderous tendencies, an entire movie could be dedicated to how these two got together and became the sort of Bonnie and Clyde pair that they are in the present. Their past has the potential to be even more haunting than whatSpeak No Evilportrays. Regardless, audiences get no solid answer about whether Ciara is truly Paddy’s first-ever victim.
Speak No Evil
Cast
Speak No Evil is a 2024 horror-thriller film by writer-director James Watkins. A remake of the 2022 movie Speak No Evil follows a family who head to the country for a much-needed vacation - but the situation quickly deteriorates, thrusting them into a horrific nightmare.
