I watched Funny Games with absolutely no prior knowledge of the film other than three recommendations from friends that went something like “Most disturbing movie ever,” “You’ll need a full 24 hours to recover” and a simple “Dude, that movie’s fucked up.” I don’t think this is the most disturbing movie I’ve ever seen — that distinction will always rest with Pasolini’s Salo, but there is a shared theme in shamed voyeurism. Whereas “Salo” ends with the images of leering, masturbating men watching torture from an upstairs window, “Funny Games” will occassionally hit you one harder. Sprinkled throughout this horrible, realistic nightmare scenario is the occassional glance to the camera lens. They appear to be thinking “We have to be here, but why in hell haven’t you gotten out?” I don’t think this is the most disturbing film ever, but it may be the most stressfull. It is basically a high-wire of horror tension from beginning to end, a situation of pure nightmare-on-screen that surpasses Spielberg’s War of the Worlds.
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Welcome
Jordan Hoffman is a New York-based writer and film critic working for The Guardian, Vanity Fair, Thrillist, Times of Israel, NY Daily News and elsewhere.
He is the host of ENGAGE: The Official Star Trek Podcast, a member of the New York Film Critics Circle and challenges you to a game of backgammon.
This was my first intro to Hanecke. I liked everything other than the camera asides, the movie simply didn’t warrant fourth wall rupture. But that fucking long take after the murder (I won’t say who) is one of the most riveting static seven minute shots I’ve ever seen. It’s better than most short films and nothing really happens other than our and the character’s gradual recovery.
Never again will I let a neighbor borrow eggs. Especially if it’s two German dudes in clean white tennis shorts with Biblical names.