Funny Games (1997)

REVIEW
To describe this repulsive though accomplished thriller as unpleasant, horrifying or gut-wrenching would be a colossal understatement. A wealthy couple and their young son are terrorized by two preppie psychos while vacationing at a lakeside house. What might sound like a typical genre flick is anything but; while there is relatively little on-screen physical violence, the psychological brutality in Funny Games is intense to the nth degree. Technically polished, well-directed and acted, the film features the cute device of the villain talking to the audience: is this breaking of the fourth wall another "funny game" to make the viewer a participant, or merely hip, self-conscious comic relief? Whatever, it's a brief respite from the sometimes nearly unbearable tension. Ultimately, though, this is too nihilistic, cynical and depressing except for the most adventurous, daring viewer. (German with English subtitles)