Carnage Movie Review

A movie set in contemporary Brooklyn, Carnage, is aptly titled as it is a meeting which starts with a sober conversation and converts into a verbal clash.

Plot: The film is about the meeting of two couples in the house of one of the couples Michael and Penelope (John C. Reilly and Jodie Foster An Academy Award winner; a very talented and lovel >> Read More... ) whose son Ethan Longstreet, is hit with a stick by Zachary Cowan, son of Alan and Nancy ( Christoph Waltz One of the few German who penetrated Hollywood. He >> Read More... and Kate Winslet From television appearances to Hollywood’s film cr >> Read More... ). This incident between the two 11-year-old boys makes the parents of the ‘victim’ invite the parents of the ‘persecutor’.The meeting which is supposed to be a short one is stretched from morning until evening.

The film, an adaptation of Yasmin Reza’s Tony award-winning play ‘God of Carnage’, shows the two couples as sensible and civilized beings in the beginning but as the film progresses there is a measured decrease in the civility of the characters. The film sees the two couples first fighting for their two sons, at times the men and women also siding with each other and then again falling back into opposition.The film, in the beginning, shows an individual’s normal behavior of being polite even if we have grudges within but also conveys the message that kindness and forgiveness are hard to practice, and when it comes to our child, he can never be wrong.

However, it’s interesting to see how every character unfolds in the course of time. But the question remains, does the meeting bear any fruits? Watch the movie to find out.

Analysis: The movie is not an easy one to be filmed as the whole film has to be made within the boundaries of a house but is very skillfully executed by the Academy Award-winning director Roman Polanski. Not only the director but each character also plays their role with sheer perfection. In spite of this, there is no definite plot or story in the movie.

Star Performances: ‘Brilliant’ is the word for the performance of each of the actors. The actors seem to be entirely comfortable in their characters, and every actor makes us feel that there cannot be a better one to portray the same role. Kate plays a nervy woman while her husband Christoph plays a lawyer who is continually busy on his phone taking calls. Jodie, a woman who can’t tolerate the fact that her values are being questioned has her husband John, a salesperson, who is forced into middle-class attire by his wife.

What’s there?

1. The portrayal of all the four characters is the selling point of the movie.

2. The flow which is very important in this particular movie is smooth, a proof of good direction.

3. The claustrophobic comedy can bind the audience to their seats till the end.

What’s not there?

1. A definite plot or story is absent. It is more like a scene which can be effectively showcased in a play rather than a movie.

2. The film does not give you a very strong message and thus it is unable to leave a solid impression on you.

Verdict: If you are a person who loves black comedy and want to see a movie whose picturization is unusual but intelligent at the same time, then Carnage is the movie for you.