Funny Games U.S.

These games were not so funny, and I couldn't understand why U.S. was wedged in there. But it makes sense if you spend a few moments on it: this must be a remake, and research backs it up. This version is practically a shot for shot remake of the own director's film but in America, with American actors.

After you watch a movie on Netflix, you should take a moment to rate it. You have five stars to play with there, and if you don't rate it, Netflix just won't know what to do with you. Should it serve you more movies of the same variety? Or should it take your silence to mean you didn't like it? I think I've figured out the system as it is, and have been rating movies with full five stars or just one: to the extreme because this world doesn't have room for fence-sitters. Plus it makes Netflix's job a bit easier; we wouldn't want to tax it too much.

But the system failed me after watching Funny Games. This movie made me uncomfortable, and it wasn't without some deliberation and IMDB browsing that I came to my sense and realized. If movies can be art, and art is meant to provoke an emotional response, then this movie got it right. But I kind of hated it. I hated the characters, both victims and killers. But perhaps I was supposed to. There are moments, and they freak you out at first, where one of the tennis outfit clad boys turns to the camera and speaks directly to you. Instantly, you are pulled into the horrible situation. It was subtle at first, and without that happening early on, I think I would have lost complete interest in this movie.

It gets crazier though. People start dying. And that may be a spoiler in itself but if you are going to see the movie, you will realize the deaths are not the focal point of this film. What seems to be the focal point is you, the viewer. You're watching this movie because presumably, you want to see some violence. The sadistic duo are here to entertain you, and in fact, tell you point blank that what they are doing, they are doing for YOU. But these acts are heinous and really, why are YOU allowing this to happen? Why are YOU still watching. It's quite the point to get across and it most definitely hammers it home.

At one point, the fourth wall is getting so much use that it takes it to a new level: just when one of the victims is getting ahead, another character grabs a remote control and rewinds the movie on us. You can't stop this from happening. You sit on the edge of your seat wondering how this can play out. Are the characters aware they were just reversed? Are they going to do things differently? A split second later and the scene unfolds differently much to the chagrin of our poor victim who just moments before, could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now, unfortunately for them, there is no hope.

The movie throws some regular conventions on its head and makes the audience feel uncomfortable, because we are not used to seeing these things happen. The victim - the good guy - is supposed to win. They are supposed to get revenge, and it's supposed to be sweet. You don't get that here, and I wasn't sure how to react to it. I'm still not sure. Do I give this movie one star or five? Do I want to see more movies that upset me? Or do I want to see more genre-provoking and original movies? The answer seems obvious when I hammer out the text like that, but I challenge you to view the movie and decide for yourself.