The God of Carnage

After the great thriller The Ghost Writer, director Roman Polanski once again proves his versatility as a filmmaker with The God of Carnage. His adaptation of the successful play by Yasmina Reza is a chamber piece reduced to almost one room, in which four people have a sometimes more, sometimes less civilized conversation for just under 80 minutes. Sounds unspectacular, but it's one of this year's best films.

After their son is beaten with a stick by another boy, injuring him in the process, Penelope and Michael (Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly) invite the perpetrator's parents, Nancy and Alan (Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz), to their home to sort out the incident among themselves. What begins as a somewhat forced, but thoroughly civilized discussion about guilt and responsibility degenerates more and more into an uncontrollable argument that soon ceases to be about a dispute between two children. Before long, the hosts' smart living room turns into a veritable battlefield, with more than just high-end exhibition catalogues and a mobile phone as casualties.

Since its premiere in 2006, The God of Carnage has been performed time and again to sold-out houses and enthusiastic audiences. Whether in Paris, London or Frankfurt, Yasmina Reza's play is acclaimed everywhere and has even been awarded several prestigious theatre prizes such as the Tony. For Roman Polanski, it was clear that no one could adapt the play for the screen better than Reza herself, who co-wrote a wonderful screenplay with Polanski.

As with the 2009 Broadway performance, the setting of the story has been moved from Paris to New York. And here a superb ensemble of actors engage in verbal duels that are so amusing in their realism that it almost hurts. Among the four actors there is actually not a single weak point. All four of them can fully play to their strengths, with Jodie Foster and Christoph Waltz in particular being at their absolute best. Watching these four actors gradually shed any form of forced politeness and civil togetherness give way to an openness filled with malice is quite a pleasure. Intelligent and entertaining acting in this form is sadly all too rare to see in cinema.

While there are many moments that could be described as wonderful or brilliant, it is really only the final shot during the credits that reveals just how great The God of Carnage actually is. For as the camera leaves the apartment after nearly 80 minutes, capturing a small scene on the street, the failures of the four protagonists are subtly but brilliantly underscored.

The God of Carnage is an exposing look at superficiality, political correctness, societal pressures and overprotectiveness, and all that hides, seethes, and struggles to emerge underneath when the opportunity arises. It's been a long time since you've been so cleverly entertained in the cinema. For lovers of amusing arthouse fare and impressive acting cinema, this film is an absolute must-see. Definitely worth seeing!!!!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp