Funny Games
Plot
Funny Games is a 1997 Austrian-American black comedy film written and directed by Michael Haneke. The movie follows the story of two young men, Peter and Paul, who kidnap a family - George, Ann, and their son Georgie - while they are on vacation at a lakeside cabin. As the family tries to escape from the cabin, Peter and Paul take control and start playing twisted "games" with them. These games involve forcing the family to engage in humiliating and sadistic activities, such as eating disgusting food or performing awkward dance routines. The young men's main goal is to amuse themselves by manipulating and tormenting their captives. As the film progresses, the family's morale begins to break down under the relentless psychological torture. George, the father, tries to reason with Peter and Paul, but they remain unmoved. Ann, the mother, becomes increasingly desperate as her family is torn apart by the twisted games. Georgie, the young son, is subjected to even more cruel treatment, forced to participate in degrading activities that are both heartbreaking and terrifying. Throughout the film, Haneke critiques modern society's obsession with violence, entertainment, and voyeurism. The two young men, Peter and Paul, can be seen as representations of our society's darker aspects - consumers of brutality who feed off other people's suffering. Their sadistic games serve as a commentary on how we are all complicit in perpetuating violence and cruelty, often without even realizing it. As the family's situation becomes more desperate, the film takes a dark turn towards a tragic conclusion. Funny Games is a thought-provoking and unsettling exploration of human nature, forcing viewers to confront their own complicity in the world around them.
Reviews
Hazel
Two Awkward Killers and an Unhappy Housewife
Chloe
Haneke is unparalleled in his exposure of the evil within humanity. Watching this film is an extreme experience. Few can escape this cycle of violence; perhaps Buddha, Jesus, and maybe even Gandhi.
Bridget
Haneke said that during the Cannes screening, the audience cheered and applauded when the female homeowner shot and killed one of the tormentors. But when they saw the film being rewound by the other tormentor with a remote control, the theater went silent. Everyone was stunned and at a loss.
Daniela
Haneke's experiment in "Funny Games" fails because he assumes an idealized audience, one entirely under his control. But as an independent, thinking viewer with agency, I must explicitly reject Haneke's didacticism and refuse to accept his shifting of responsibility onto me. Art portrays violence not because viewers inherently desire to consume it, but because of its own violent potential. So, artists, please do your job properly and refrain from telling me how to think.
Cora
Haneke is such a ruthless and merciless director. After the son is murdered, the long take uses a fixed camera position in a distant shot. The audience is consistently placed in this passive, objective perspective, observing the emotional state of the couple as they mentally break down. He refuses to give close-ups, refuses to move the camera, completely forcing the audience to genuinely experience and reflect on the relationship between violence and the media. The rewind-in-reality and direct address to the camera are equally brilliant, countless highlights throughout.
Fiona
Cruel and nihilistic, Michael Haneke's "Funny Games" is a thought-provoking thriller that examines the darkest aspects of human nature. With its rigid camera work and mundane pace, the film skillfully builds tension, making the audience feel just as trapped and helpless as the characters. The performances are raw and unsettling, adding to the sense of unease that permeates every frame. A brutal and unflinching critique of modern society's voyeuristic tendencies, "Funny Games" is a hard-hitting, unforgettable experience.
Adriana
A tense, unsettling, and socially conscious thriller, Funny Games scrutinizes the audience's relationship with violence and entertainment, presenting a scenario where two sociopathic youths subject a middle-class family to brutal "games". With an unnerving atmosphere and ruthless portrayals, the film critiques the voyeuristic tendencies of viewers and the blurred lines between reality and fiction. Beneath its surface-level shock value, Funny Games offers a thought-provoking commentary on societal desensitization and the manipulation of emotions for entertainment.
