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Year of release: 2011
Director: Roman Polanski
Writers: Yasmina Reza (play and screenplay), Roman Polanski (screenplay)
Starring: Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly, etc.

For more information on “Carnage”, visit Wikipedia and/or IMDb

 

General impression:
I haven’t seen Yasmina Reza’s “God of Carnage” on stage, therefore I am glad for this adaptation of the play. Essentially, it’s about adults complicating simple problems. A debate in an apartment vs. the reality out in the park. The four main characters, the parents, may do all the talking, but the key to understanding what this story is about lies in the first scene and the last one. The rest is an illustration of what daily frustrations turn us into, and how ridiculous we can become. The greatest merit of the film is offering a good play with a good cast to a wider audience than can fit into a theater. After watching it, I sincerely don’t feel a special need to see the play performed on stage – not even for the sake of comparing. And that’s not a bad thing at all.

Highlights:
It keeps the simplicity of a stage play. Solid acting.

Downside:
Nothing to interfere with the goal of this movie, I guess.

Would I see it again? – Yes

My Rating (1 to 10): 8.5

Recommended: Yes

Suggestion:
If you have any contempt for Polanski, don’t let that influence your opinion on this film.