Silly Americans…
After concluding spooky season with a reappraisal of Rob Zombie’s Halloween II (the Director’s Cut), we’re moving into November by kicking off a new theme of episodes on toxic masculinity. First up is Michael Haneke‘s fourth wall-breaking film Funny Games!
In Funny Games, Anna (Susanne Lothar) and Georg (Ulrich Mühe) and their son Georgie (Stefan Clapczynski) visit their idyllic lakeside vacation home, only to be terrorized by Paul (Arno Frisch) and Peter (Frank Giering), a pair of deeply disturbed young men. Paul and Peter take the family hostage and subject them to the titular “funny games,” which doubles as a critique of (American) viewers themselves.
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Episode 254: Funny Games (1997)
Buckle up because we’re kicking off “Toxic Masculinity Month” with a doozy: Michael Haneke’s polarizing 1997 home invasion film Funny Games (but it’s okay if you watched the remake instead because they’re the exact same film). Helping us parse through these waters is Justin Nordell!
Join us as we offer a brief primer on Haneke before going all in on this twisted and cruel little film that holds a mirror up to its audience and makes us question the responsibility of media when it comes to violence. From the fourth wall breaks to the infamous rewind scene, Funny Games is one of the most satisfying, if infuriating, viewing experiences you’re ever going to have.
Cross out Funny Games!
Coming up on Wednesday: We’re offering all the content warnings as we discuss a controversial film in which two teenage boys find a zombie girl and proceed to rape her over and over: 2008’s Deadgirl.
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for nearly 268 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on No One Will Save You, Totally Killer, Saw X, Exorcist: Believer, and our audio commentary for the month will be on John Carpenter’s classic Halloween.
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