Funny Games U.S. (2007)

Michael Haneke (director of the superb film Caché) redirects his own film ten years after the fact and in an American setting. Funny Games' singular purpose is brutality - if you didn't like A Clockwork Orange, you'd hate this one.

An upperclass New England family drives up to their lake house for the weekend to do some sailing. Upon arrival, two cleancut teen boys introduce themselves as nephews of the neighbours and ultimately perform a house invasion - disabling the father and terrorizing the mother and son. The evening and morning become a cat and mouse game, with the boys releasing and recapturing their prey.

The sensitivity of this film towards the victims is clearly a priority so that the viewers will empathize with the ongoing horror. But it is the politeness and apathy of the two villains that is most jarring and affecting.

While the film is not enjoyable at all, one comes away with a greater appreciation for sincerity.

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