Funny Games

By Serena Whitney
March 17, 2008

For those that don’t know, Funny Games is a shot by shot American remake of Michael Haneke’s controversial 1997 Austrian horror film. However, this time around the film stars recognizable actors like Naomi Watts and Tim Roth instead of unknown Austrian actors. Although "the shot by shot" technique sounded like a very promising experiment, I was still reminded of the colssosal train wreck that was Gus Van Sant’s shot by shot remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, which made me a little weary going into the screening. Was Funny Games a necessary remake or was it just an insult to the original film (like so many remakes are these days)? Read on to find out!

Funny Games starts out peacefully as the viewers witness a happy couple and their child driving to their vacation home while listening to mellow and soothing classical music. Suddenly this title sequence is unexpectedly accompanied by the deafening noise of...death metal. This immediately sets the tone for the movie, because this film is all about contradicting the audiences’ expectations.

The premise of the film is something we’ve all seen before. A nice family gets taken hostage by two young psycho-paths (played very convincingly by Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet) who are then forced to play sadistic games for their captors. The difference between Funny Games and other American home invasion thrillers is that there is absolutely no glamorization to the horrible events onscreen. Director Michael Haneke (who reprises his role for the US version) makes sure the audience is fully aware of this fact. He sets up the film to play as a typical thriller and then without warning he pulls the rug from right under its audience. (As well as punching them in the gut.)

There are no moments where you feel hopeful for the film's protagonists. There are no scenes of drawn out and tense chase sequences accompanied by a jarring score. There is only dread, trepidation, and despair. Also, the fact that some of the horrific events take place in real-time is something viewers will find extremely unsettling. (This is evident when the surviving members of the tortured family have to deal with an unspeakable loss half way through the film.)

However, the most startling thing about this movie was the director’s choice of breaking down the “fourth wall” and having the film’s main antagonist, Paul interact with the audience. Every time Paul winks at the camera or asks the viewers a question, it invoked anger in the viewers, because at these points of the film, the audience is aware that Funny Games is not just about torturing and taunting the film protagonists, it was also about torturing its spectators.

The most brilliant part about this movie is that even though the film makes for a very uncomfortable two hours, there are very few horror elements shown onscreen. It was not about focusing on the gratuitous blood and gore (a.k.a. money shots) that most mainstream and dare I say foreign horror films rely on. It was more about focusing on the emotional turmoil the characters were painfully enduring. The camera would always focus on the character witnessing the horror being done to a loved one, rather than focusing on the violence itself. By reading this, you may feel slightly relieved that the director spares the audience the carnage; however the emotional violence was far more frightening to experience than watching a lingering shot of a gushing open wound.

Funny Games is a film that is very hard to review without giving away spoilers, which is why I have decided to keep this review shorter than I would have liked. This is not an entertaining film by any means, yet it never strives to be. It is a thought provoking film that will disturb you for years to come from just memories alone. I commend the director for being able to have the guts to remake his masterpiece for North American audiences who are so used to the conventions of the mainstream horror films. I also commend the actors for giving both strong fear inducing and heartaching performances. If it wasn’t for them, the film would not have affected its audience like it did. Although Funny Games is not for everybody, I strongly recommend you witness this film (or its predecessor) at least just once. If you can get through it, consider it an accomplishment.

Wide Release Date: March 14, 2008
Running Time: 1 hour, 52 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Michael Haneke
Producers: Christian Baute, Chris Coen, Hamish McAlpine, and Andro Steinbron
Executive Producers: Hengameh Panahi, Douglas C. Steiner, and Naomi Watts
Screenplay: Michael Haneke
Director of Photography: Darius Khondji