Carnage

Roman Polanski's black comedy featuring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslett,
John C Reilly and Christopher Waltz is a clever observation of adult behaviour.

Two new york couples meet to discuss and clear up the details of a violent altercation between their schoolkids, which resulted in one of the boys being badly injured.

It's clear from the couples initial over friendly yet smug demeanour that there are issues simmering beneath.
Both couples are eager to stress how strong their relationships and home life are, thus insinuating that they are the better parents and in the clear for their child's behaviour.

After several attempts to come to a mutual agreement it's quite apparent that neither couple are willing to cave and admit defeat.
The mothers are both uptight characters at the forefront of the debate, leaving the more cordial minded husbands to somehow bond.

However, after the they open a bottle of whiskey to calm the atmosphere, all hell breaks loose.
All four of them loosen up and their real characters come out to play.
This leads to the adults losing all inhibitions, acting outrageously, leaving their children's actions looking tame.

'Carnage' is a screen adaptation of a play, which is obvious due to it's pace and setting.
Based in a new york apartment and set in real time, the two couples are the only actors on screen for the entire film with the exception of a snippet of the incident involving their kids.
The script and observations are very sharp, keeping the viewer interested and the acting is superb.

This type of movie making will not be to every ones liking but if your a Polanski or Woody Allen fan it will prove most favourable.

Unfortunately, I reckon 8 of 10 adults will actually relate to such intolerable behaviour


Score: 8/10