Carnage

The comeback of one the most sarcastic and daring films by Roman Polanski.

2011, Roman Polanski

France–Spain–Germany–Poland
80 minutes, English with Russian subtitles

Starring: Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly

A boy hits another boy in the face with a stick, knocking out a couple of teeth, and now the parents of the victim and the parents of the offender meet in a Brooklyn flat. Everyone wants to come to an agreement and part ways as soon as possible — but years of suppressed complexes and phobias will do their work, and the god of carnage will turn up in a tidy condominium.

Shot from Carnage, 2011

Seeing these four actors launching Reza’s zingers at each other at high speed is pretty much worth the price of admission all by itself, and one thing you always know about Polanski is that he won’t waste your time.

— Andrew O’Hehir, Salon.com

Few directors are as adept as Roman Polanski at showing how madness gradually but inexorably grows in the confined space of a flat. The director does not shy away from theatricality :it only emphasises the talent of the outstanding actors in the lead roles.