Funny Games (1997)
Directed by: Michael Haneke
Starring: Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Mühe, Arno Frisch, Frank Giering
Paul: Listen, we're going to bet, ok? We'll bet that... what's the time, about 9?... let's say in 12 hours, all three of you'll be kaputt.
Anna [increduously]: What?
Paul [smiling]: You bet us that tomorrow at 9 you'll be alive, and we bet you, you'll be dead. OK?
Funny Games is a twisted German black comedy with some truly inspired & original moments. Of course, the problem with reviewing a movie with truly inspired & original moments is that I can't really describe any of them to you, or you know... they're no longer inspired or original. So, I'll stick to just telling you enough about the movie to whet your appetite, and then leave you to discover what makes this movie so cool.
The movie starts in a car with a family of three (father Georg, mother Anna, and young son Georg Jr.) headed towards their lake home for a weekend trip. They arrive at the house and while father & son head to the dock to unload the boat, Anna begins to unpack. As she does, a clean cut 20-something young man named Peter shows up at their front door. He claims that he's staying with the family next door, and asks to borrow some eggs. Anna gives him the eggs, but Peter 'accidentally' breaks them. He asks her for some more, and while she's reluctantly getting them for him, he 'accidentally' drops their only phone in the dishwater. Anna, beginning to get perturbed, gives him the second set of eggs, but as he's leaving, Peter breaks these too.
Just then, a second young man, Paul, shows up at the front door. He walks in and demands Anna turn over even more eggs. Anna is getting confused by the sense of entitlement these two strangers seem to have. There's nothing overtly threatening about these guys, but Anna decides she wants them out of her house. She asks them to leave, and while they don't outright refuse, it seems clear they don't plan on going anywhere. By this time, Georg has come back from the dock. He doesn't understand why these two guys are in his house either. He grabs Paul by the arm to escort him to the door, and out of nowhere, Peter grabs a golfclub and smashes the hell out of Georg's knee!
From that point on our family is in for a night of torture, humiliation, and abuse. One of the things that makes this movie different is that never scream, never lose their temper, never do any of the things you expect a home intruder to do... and it's damn unnerving. They're doing these awful things, but they're smiling and talking like there's nothing wrong with what they're doing. At one point, Paul & Peter disagree about whether Anna is in good shape. Peter thinks any woman Anna's age is bound to be flabby, so Paul, in order to prove him wrong and save Anna's good name, orders Anna to strip naked in front of her husband and son. Its a vile request, but the way he phrases it really makes it seem like he's trying to do Anna a favor.
While I was watching this movie I was amazed at the ease at which Paul & Peter completely subdue this family. They aren't necessarily strong guys, and the only 'weapon' between the two of them is a golf club. They really only use it once but it only takes one swing of a nine iron to render Georg almost completely impotent to help his family. Realizing how defenseless we often are may be the most frightening thing about this movie.
Funny Games also benefits from having an absolutely stellar actress in Susanne Lothar. As Anna, Lothar goes from playing a totally nondescript middle aged housewife to being an absolutely devistated and shellshocked wreck. The transformation is truly stunning, and was one of my favorite things about this movie.
Funny Games is a hard movie to classify. It's not really a horror or thriller in the traditional sense, but it shares a lot of elements from those 'The Killer Is In The House' movies. At times the movie can be seen as a social commentary on entitlement and vulnerability. And then there some aspects of the movie, that like I mentioned up top, come completely out of nowhere and blindside you. And despite these differing styles, the movie doesn't feel disjointed. Funny Games is definately a movie worth watching, especially if you like your humor dark & bloody.
- Micah
