Review of Funny Games (1997) by Lynn D — 10 Nov 2018

Haneke delivers us this deeply disturbing psychological thriller that is not as funny as the title states. It will have you questioning does the audience really have a thirst for mindless violence? A middle-class Austrian family consisting of Georg, Anna and their young son Georg Jr, go to their holiday home for a vacation. When settled, their neighbor introduces them to teenage friends Peter and Paul. At first, the boys come across as pretentious, middle class and overbearing of the social norms, but they turned into sadists by the flick of a switch. Assaulting, taking hostage and playing sadistic games began to escalate to the point of horrifying and the natural performances made this film look so realistic it could literally happen at any time anywhere.

Unlike most Hollywood home invasion movies there was little glamour, little gore, and basic camera work, but yet it gives you the most uncomfortable feeling. When Peter and Paul address the audience on what should happen, it breaks the boundaries between on-screen characters and the audience, making us somewhat a part of the pointless torture. The naturalism in this film is often quiet in the horror industry, but yet has more of an impact than the torture porn films out today. The random winks at the camera and long shots of silence make us question why we find sadistic films entertaining.