Things you can't unsee

Let it be known that I am not a fan of this whole genre of movies that revel in horrific violence, seemingly for its own sake -- like Saw, Hostel et al. I just don't see the point to plumbing the absolute depths of human depravity. Honestly, I'll even question the sanity of anyone who would "enjoy" watching people get grotesquely mangled in these so-called "torture porn" movies. It's certainly not healthy.

So it was probably a mistake to watch Funny Games the other day. A film hasn't given me nightmares in 15 years probably (I believe the last was Stephen King's IT), and while I haven't woken up in a cold sweat, it certainly was disturbing to the point where 2 days after viewing I'm still beset with uncomfortable queasiness.

Basic plot is Naomi Watts and Tim Roth are husband and wife heading to an idyllic Long Island vacation home with their young son, only to have their vacation ruined by two excessively polite home invaders who torture them with a variety of sick and twisted games. It's actually a shot for shot remake (by the same director) of an Austrian film that came out in 1997.

A big contridiction with Funny Games is despite the horrific content -- it's tremendously well done. It's tough to say this is the worst movie I've ever seen, since Naomi Watts in particular turns in a very powerful performance. Also the direction is top-notch, despite its sadism. There is little to no violence on-screen -- you only hear the effects and see the reactions of the other family members while horrid acts are committed a foot out of the camera's range.

In fact I would argue that this lack of filmed violence makes the film even more fucked up, because the horror is only limited to your own imagination. Give me the canned explosions of Predator over this any day.

Finally, what really pissed me off about the film is it seems to want to torture the audience just as much as the characters. They even break the 4th wall a couple times -- the torturer regards the audience with a wink and a nod, like "are you not entertained?" No, I most certainly am not.

Now let's never speak of this again.