Funny Games (dir. Michael Haneke, 2007)

Synopsis:
George (Tim Roth), his wife Ann (Naomi Watts) and their small son, Georgie, have just arrived at their summer home. Soon their idyllic family vacation will be brutally interrupted by an unexpected visit.

My Review:
I just finished watching this movie. I thought it has value in the sense that it doesn't give the general audience what it wants: a happy ending (as much as it could be, since the son is killed by the middle of the movie, which makes it hard to keep thinking "they'll be fine" right at that point). It also shows what I think would be a pretty realistic depiction of a normal, high class family's reaction to a home invasion, I mean, what could they have done differently? Normal families aren't familiar with survival skills, weapons, martial arts, etc.

Then there's the involvement of the audience, when Paul addresses the camera directly. I interpreted that in two ways: one: the guy is crazy and it shows what media can do to an unstable mind, believing that life is like a game show or reality TV; or two: the director wants us to know that there is a complicity with the viewer, some kind of voyeur of the sadism taking place.

Something else that caught my attention was the rewind sequence that starts with a possible hope for the family and then its like "yeah, right!" and it simply doesn't happen. That was the director saying: "this is not THAT kind of movie".

The last conversation in the boat I found confusing. Could it be that Paul and Peter are aware of their condition of characters in a work of fiction that could easily be reality ("But isn't fiction real?")? The breaking of the fourth wall is an indicator.

In the end, I believe the movie shows how vulnerable we are and that the real world can be a harsh place where the bad guys can win, and still when it happens in a movie, its considered entertainment. No Hollywood ending to this one.