Movie Monday October 31: Funny Games

Since it’s Halloween, I decided to go with something in the horror genre. I’m not the biggest fan of overly gory movies so I went with a psychological thriller: Funny Games. I watched the original Austrian version, not the shot-for-shot American remake, and it was probably one of the more disturbing movies I’ve seen.

**Warning, mild spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t watched the movie yet, what are you doing?**

On their first day of vacation at their lake home, Anna (Susanne Lothar) and Georg (Ulrich Mühe) Schober have a strange encounter with their neighbors Fred (Cristoph Bantzer) and Eva (Monika Zallinger) Berlinger. The couple are acting strange, their daughter is suspiciously absent, and they are accompanied by a pair of strange men in white gloves. Fred later comes to help Georg launch his sailboat and is accompanied by one of the men. He’s introduced as Paul (Arno Frisch), the son of a friend. A little later, while Georg and son Georgie (Stefan Clapczynski) are working on the boat, the other man, Peter (Frank Giering), comes over. He asks Anna for eggs, a request apparently made by Eva, but gradually overstays his welcome. He knocks the family’s phone into the kitchen sink and drops eggs several times, frustrating Anna. Paul then arrives and acts overly familiar with Anna and the house. He decides to try out one of Georg’s golf clubs while the family’s dog Rolfi goes missing. When Anna gets upset and Georg tries to intervene, the two men become aggressive and break Georg’s leg. They make a bet with the family that they won’t live to see 9 am the next morning. This sets off a chain of events that leads to sadistic games, beatings, and several escape attempts. No explanation is given as to their motives, but they seem to enjoy watching others suffer. In the end, there is little hope for the Schobers as it’s obvious that they are just the latest family in the two men’s entertainment.

I actually really enjoyed Funny Games. I went in without knowing much about the film and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. Movies that push the boundaries of a genre or subvert conventions are ones I often find most interesting. Although it was very disturbing at times, it was also a really interesting commentary on the horror genre and violence in movies as a whole.

The entire cast was exceptional and their varying emotions, or lack thereof, felt real. Sussanne Lothar’s Anna was especially memorable. Every facial expression was so authentic and her mixture of fear and bewilderment really resonated with me, as well as the people I watched the film with. Paul and Peter were also fantastic characters. Both of their actors had a nice balance of sadism and playfulness that really intensified the disturbing nature of the characters. I’d definitely watch the film again just to try to pick up on all of their meta conversations and commentary.

Funny Games is not just a psychological thriller. It frequently makes commentary on the formulaic nature of suspense in film, breaks the fourth wall, and at one point even rewinds time. According to director Michael Haneke, it wasn’t supposed to be a horror film but rather a commentary on violence in the media. There isn’t much of a plot; it’s closer to little vignettes of violence connected by the fact they take place in the same location. There are also some long shots of the results of the violence, making the audience really look at what has happened.

One moment that made me hold my breath:

There’s a very specific scene with a golf ball that I won’t go into much detail about. I don’t want to spoil it, but if you do decide to watch Funny Games, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Ten seconds never felt as long as they did when I was watching that golf ball.

One moment that made me scream:

There aren’t really any jump scares, but there is one surprising moment when Georgie tries to make a run for it. He’s being chased by Paul and thinks he’s gotten away. Suddenly Paul appears from almost out of nowhere. It’s a mixture of surprise and the expression on Paul’s face that really got to me.

I’d give Funny Games 8 eggs out of 10.