Carnage

Directed by: Roman Polanski

Written by: Yasmina Reza, Roman Polanski

Based on Yasmina Reza's play "The God of Carnage," this film tells the story of two couples who have come together to settle a violent incident between their two children. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and things quickly turn sour between the two couples. Each character begins to suffer from various personal and emotional breakdowns as the dynamics of power and conflict continually shift, with the help of a few spontaneous moments (including one of the characters vomiting).

Personal and legal issues aside (and they are are to ignore), Polanski should be applauded for making such an emotionally intense film. The total running time is less than ninety minutes, but every minute is jam packed with tension. Adding any more length would have been more of the same.

As it is based on a play, the entire action of the film takes place in a single day within a single apartment. Polanski's use of close-ups and stationary cameras helps to enhance the claustrophobic effect. The characters pace around the rooms like animals in a cage.

Each of the actors does a fantastic job. Jodie Foster plays an uptight liberal mother better than any. (This is high praise, considering that I'm not a huge Foster fan.) John C. Reilly plays his usual slightly above-average Joe.

This movie is fantastic. It's hard to say I "enjoyed" it, but it is definitely worth seeing.