Funny Games...

[bexley]

Someone please tell me they have seen this movie. I just saw it for the first time last night and I was blown away. It's a German flcik with Subs. You can get it at @ crappy ol Blockbuster. GREAT MOVIE!!!! PLease someoen go see it so that I have someoen tot alk to about it ;)

-B

[bexley]

Jesus, what the hell is with my typing in that one....stupid fingers don't work so well anymore!

[automanic]

What's the title of the movie?

[Pete Vonder Haar]

Sounds like "Das Boot."

Or "Shock Waves." But that wasn't German. Just had Nazi zombies.

[El Duderino Diablo]

Funny Games at IMDB (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0119167/)

[Pete Vonder Haar]

Oh, "subs" = "subtitles." Duh.

Carry on.

[bexley]

Yeah, this movie is awesome. Please someone see it and then talk to me. I am really curious about your take on it. You will not be disappointed, I promise!

[McAlloon]

I have only seen parts of this film. There has been quite a buzz, when it was released in Germany - Not only, because of its shocking nature, but because around the time a lot of films with simular themes were released (for example: 'Henry: Portrait of a serial killer', 'Natural Born Killers', 'Man bites dog').

The story is about two young men (identically dressed in clean white shirts and trousers) who are violently interrupting the holidays for a young couple and their son. First their appearence seams quite harmless when they knock on the door and ask for some eggs. But when they keep coming back and ask for some more, the couple is irritated by their polite but determined behaviour. When the couple asks them to leave, they both break into the house and take the family as hostage. What follows next is not a simple 'Desperate Hours'-like situation, but a very discomforting scenery, in which the two intruders are playing very sick mind games with their prey (and with the audience as well).

The reasons for their actions are never explained to the audience, but sometimes (mostly when some violence occurs) the viewer is adressed by one of the intruders with a remark like 'This is what you like to see, isn't it?'. It's at points like this, where the theme of the film is shining through, because the message of the filmmakers seems to be, that these actions are only shown in movies, because there's an audience out there that enyoys these kind of things. It's not the only point, where the director makes himself (and his standing-point) shown; at another scene when one of the hostages shoots one of the intruders, the scene is rewinded, because this simple solution would be unrealistic.

The film makes the viewer feel rather uncomfortable, not only because of the violence shown, but because of the more simplistic views of the director. It's clear that this scenery is completely artificial, but the message 'This is all happening, because YOU want to see it.' is directed much too simply at the viewer - like he had any choice at all before viewing this picture.

Above this the film is very well made and played. The director Michael Haneke went on to make such controversial films as 'Die Klavierspielerin' or 'Code: unknown'.