Saturday, March 08, 2008

Funny Games (1997)

Title: Funny Games
Director: Michael Haneke
Cast: Ulrich Mühe, Susanne Lothar, Arno Frisch
Year: 1997
MPAA: Not Rated
Date of Review: March 8, 2007

Famous around the world (or perhaps infamous) for its brutality and disturbing content, Funny Games has received an American remake treatment to be released on March 14th. So it was high time to see what’s arguably director Michael Haneke’s most famous work, about an innocent Austrian family who are tortured both mentally and physically by a pair of deranged young men. It’s a difficult watch - at times even downright unpleasant - but it is all played out so well by all the actors involved (and is gorgeously shot, to boot) that it makes an interesting yet painful film experience.

The film begins with an aerial shot of the family’s vehicle driving through the countryside, while we listen to them playing a game of “guess that classical composer”. The music abruptly changes to some fork-in-the-ear scream metal, but it’s only us - the viewers - who experience this sudden change. The family continues to smile and laugh and hum along to the now absent classical music. Not only are we getting teased as to the film’s abrupt tonal change with the arrival of the young men, but we are also catching a glimpse of what is to come with the film’s all-but-missing fourth wall. Frequently throughout the film (and with growing intensity) one of the young men turns to the camera - looking us, the viewers, straight in the eye - and he addresses the audience directly. This all culminates in the ultimate “wink” at the audience, which both reinforces the film’s message (whatever that may be) and not just breaks the fourth wall, but completely blows it away.

When I say that the message of the film is unclear, this confusion stems (mainly) from the 18 minute interview with Michael Haneke which is featured on the DVD. During this interview, Haneke talks about the film’s strong commentary on violence, and the voyeuristic nature of violence in cinema and in the media. However, where things get muddled is with Haneke’s stance that people who watch the film to the end are somehow morally confused, and are exactly the types of “violence voyeurs” which the film is commenting on. So, he is somehow trying to comment on peoples’ sick tendency to “accept” violence by showing us some truly horrifying images and situations, then condemning us for having watched it. It’s a bit of cinematic entrapment, which could be seen as quite condescending on Haneke’s part...but let’s just forget that interview for now, shall we?

Funny Games presents some of the same themes found in the recent “torture porn” trend in American horror films (most specifically, Hostel). But it’s done with a much classier touch, with many of the technical aspects reminiscent of the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Haneke has a great eye for camera placement, as well as a strong sense of how to create tension. There is one scene which is particularly impressive, in which Georg (the little boy in the family) is hiding behind an armoire which is situated between two open doorways. The camera is placed in such a way as to closely capture the boy’s panicky jitters, as well as keep both of the doorways in the shot. It’s a very tense scene, and the simplicity of the shot benefits it greatly. This is something Hitchcock understood, and which many filmmakers today seem to be oblivious to - complicated, swooping camera movements do not automatically make a more interesting scene. Often it’s the simplest of shots which create striking - even iconic - images. A scene should be interesting enough as it is, and not need extensive movement on the camera’s part in order to enhance it. There are, of course, exceptions, and I admit that this is all coming from the point of view of a writer - a cinematographer would surely disagree.

With such strong acting in the film, it’s also apparent that Haneke didn’t want to interrupt or take away from the power of the performances with quick cuts and the like. All of the characters are played richly, particularly the father, whom Ulrich Mühe brings to startling life. The role reversal of the parents is well executed, as the father is delivered a crippling blow early on in the film, leaving the mother to take centre stage as the heroine - the character involved in most of the “action”. It’s also interesting to note that Haneke used a unique method for directing his actors - he instructed all three members of the family to act as if they were in a tragedy, while simultaneously telling their captors to play it as a comedy. In hindsight, one can see the way the young men tried to inject this comedic tone into their roles, but while watching the film, this just makes them seem all the more psychotic and frightening.

My initial impression of the film was not of disappointment, but of surprise. “This is the ‘deeply disturbing’ movie everyone’s been talking about?” I thought to myself. But sometime several hours later, I found myself still thinking about those two sick young men, that traumatized family, and how horrible all of those physical and mental tortures would be. It’s a powerful film, and whether it hits you as you’re watching it, or a few hours later, it’s sure to leave a lasting impression.

7 / 10

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