Review of Funny Games (1997) by Clark B — 26 Aug 2010

I'm not sure I got out of this movie what director Michael Haneke had in mind. The synopsis for the (unseen by me) American version said he intended "Funny Games" as an indictment of the media's fascination with violence. Really? The FICTIONAL media? Does that include Shakespearean violence? Oedipus ripping out his eyeballs? Well, good luck there Haneke because I don't give a whit about fictional violence one way or the other and I sure don't want to indict anyone. I've seen some wonderful violent pictures and I've seen some awful pacifist pictures. If I were going to indict movies I might start with preachiness.

What was interesting about this film was it's perverse upending of audience expectations. When Haneke is not winking to the camera, the weakest conceit of the film, his oddball shot selections and willful disregard for conventional plot mechanics actually make this a compelling thriller. You REALLY don't know what is going to happen next. There is a good scene where the camera stays on Susanne Lothars face while something terrible happens off screen. It's held very long, and it's uncomfortable, but watching her face is horrifying. There are quite a few shots that feel like that, and scenes that go on too long, but I didn't think they were pretentious. It gave the movie a realistic vibe, like it was showing you the stuff they leave out of typical horror movies. A broken leg STAYS broken and it's hard to move around with one.

Toward the end there is a bizarre twist that's just downright goofy, too pomo, but I suppose it fits with the deconstructive nature of the film. This movie is called "Funny Games" after all, and guess who those games are being played on? You get one guess. I didn't feel like indicting the media for their violent tendencies after this picture, so Haneke failed in that regard, but I did learn that when you shake up all the rules of the thriller genre, you can still end up with a very effective, disturbing film. 4 stars.