Martyrs

Title: Martyrs
Director: Pascal Laugier
Released: 2008
Staring: Morjana Alaoui, Mylène Jampanoï, Catherine Bégin, Isabelle Chasse, Robert Toupin, Patricia Tulasne, Juliette Gosselin, Xavier Dolan-Tadros

Plot: Fifteen years ago Lucie (Jampanoï) was abducted and tortured as a child. Now having tracked down her kidnappers she set’s out with her childhood friend Anna (Alaoui), who also carries her own abuse scars to get her revenge. It’s only when Anna arrives at the house does she start to question her friends actions before discovering a hatch in the basement.



Review: There is a memorable line in David Fincher’s classic thriller “Seven” (1995) uttered by a doctor having who having examined the Sloth victim proclaims

“He’s experienced about as much pain and suffering as anyone I’ve encountered, give or take, and he still has Hell to look forward to.”

And this was the line which came to mind as the end credits rolled on this film as I was left reeling and still unable to comprehend what it was that I had just watched, much less how I was going to write about it. “Matyrs” is anything but a straightforward movie and it is certainly one best going into blind, so once again this is you getting off point for those wishing to experience the film with all its shocks intact, as potential spoilers lye ahead.

Opening with Lucie as a young girl bloodied and running terrified through a derelict industrial estate, Director Laugier wastes zero time in establishing a mood for what is essentially the rest of the film, as Laugier then establishes exactly what she has been though via a mixture of documentary footage taken by the team sent to investigate, aswell as snippets of her therapy which in turn establishes her friendship with Anna and the strong bond that they two girls share, growing out of their status as abuse survivors. Still this is merely the warm up for what is to follow, as Laugier shifts gear and slams on the gas, as the film now becomes an unrelenting nightmare of visceral horror and violence.

Shot almost like two movies cut together, the first half is a pure home invasion / revenge thriller as the now grown up Lucie breaks into what would to be your typical suburban household, as they sit down to breakfast quickly unloading shotgun shells into the family without even any attempt at an introduction or welcome. It’s in the aftermath of this savage attack that Anna re-enters the story, while Lucie seems to be quickly losing her grip on reality having visions of a Lovecraftian style monster which frequently attacks her causing her to mutilate herself as she tries to defend herself. It’s also at this point that Anna begins to also have doubts about her friends sanity, let alone if she has even found the people who had abducted her, especially when the house shows no signs of either of the parents being capable of the acts inflicted upon Lucie as a child. Still it’s the discovery of a mysterious hatch in the basement which marks the start of what could essentially be classed as the second film which is almost a polar opposite of the first half as gone are the frantic cuts and shooting from the hips, to be replaced by tightly framed shots and an almost clinical approach to the screen violence, as the hatch proves to be an almost metaphorical for the secrets the parents have seemingly hidden from their children, continuing normal family life while hiding the real horrors in the basement. Now if you have made it this far into the film and wondered what all the fuss was about, you should perhaps not speak so soon, as it’s the halfway mark were Laugier chooses to really unleash the demons on his audience, as he redefines what unrelenting horror which are only unleashed once the hatch is opened.

Despite being heavy on torture especially for the second half of the film and shocking imagery, “Martyrs” refuses to have the clumsy “Torture Porn” label attached to it, as the savagery on display here isn’t played with any sense of fun, but rather approached with a clinical and sterile approach, as the camera largely plays witness to the acts on offer, only occasionally allowing itself the luxury of a more artsy shot or two including a memorable close up of a dilated iris which in turn morphs into a 2001 Esq. Lightshow to help highlight the deteriorating mental state of the sufferer. Still once the film moves into it’s brutal second half, it is from here that it becomes more a test of endurance and as well as your ability to keep your lunch down and while other films have certainly pushed the boundaries further in terms of gore, but it is still none the more pleasant to sit through, to find out the big answer to what is actually going on and one that seems to divide audience reaction as to if it was worth the trek through hell to find out the reasons behind everything you have just witnessed, especially with Laugier failing in many ways to explore the titular theory perhaps as indepth as some would like or even explain it better to the less well read viewer.

The gore on display here is creative to say the least, with bodies being flung across the room by shotgun blasts to the chest and even a flaying are just two things on the menu, though for the hardened gore hounds nothing that they probably won’t have seen before, despite cries of “The most Violent movie ever made” from the conservative broadsheet reading crowd, but what’s on offer here, easily pales when compared to the likes of “Cannibal Holocaust” (1980) or even more recent releases such as “Frontier(s)” (2007) which certainly pushed the boundaries further and here Laugier seemingly more interested to approach the screen violence with the an unflinching lense similar that used by Michael Haneke for “Funny Games” (1997) were violence was used as part of his exploration of media violence, though it would seem that Laugier isn’t trying to explore such themes, but rather adopting a similar style to ramp up intensity while ensuring that he doesn’t let up on the pressure for a moment. Needless to say as someone who is disgusted by domestic violence, towards the end of the film it became especially tough watching what is essentially a succession of scenes were one of the characters is repeatedly beaten over and over, while being further proof as to why I no longer talk to my parents about the films I review here.

While certainly not the easiest of films to recommend based on the levels of violence and grim subject matter, yet it’s strangely fascinating and gripping at the same time, though the true power will no doubt hit you after the end credits have run, as it’s only then that you mind will find the time to churn over what you have just watched, as Laugier has here created one of the most shocking yet highly original films I have seen in along while, though one to certainly approach with caution.

The Neighbour No. Thirteen

Title: The Neighbour No. Thirteen
Director: Yasuo Inoue
Released: 2005

Staring: Nakamura Shido, Oguri Shun, Hirofuni Arai, Yumi Yoshimura, Tomoya Ishii, Minoru Matsumoto, Takashi Miike

Rating: 3 / 5

Plot: Starting his new job at a construction site, Juzo (Oguri) is shocked to find that his foreman is Toru Akai (Arai), Juzo school bully, whose actions left him heavily traumatized. Juzo however has a dark secret, for when he is pushed to far he finds himself taken over, by his deranged alter ego #13 (Nakamura), who soon sets out to seek revenge against the former tormentor.

Review: This was a strange little film, seeing how it sets itself up like a horror film, but ends up being more of a study of the human psyche and how the surrounding environment, can shape a person, with the main idea of the bullied and traumatized Juzo, snapping mentally so severely that he has created a violent alter ego, to extract revenge on the man who made his life so miserable at school, as well as anyone unfortunate to upset him, while at the same time for myself especially, making me think largely of the same bullied teens, who bring firearms to school. Still in this world things are very much kept black and white with Akai still the same thuggish brute that he was, when he was at school with the only change he's made in the meantime, being the target of his violent whims, as he spends his time picking on the more timid members of his construction crew, which in a way makes it all the easier to symphonise with the timid and retiring Juzo, who has clearly been deeply affected by what he was forced to endure at the hands of Akai and his cronies, which in a way make his disfigured and grotesque alter ego #13 all the more effective, seeing how he is very much the complete polar opposite, as Juzo’s psycho Mr. Hyde.

Director Inoue, whose background is mainly in commercials and music videos, has clearly taken full advantage of the opportunity to expand his vision, in much the same way as his American counterparts David Fincher and Spike Jonze, took full advantage of a chance to break free of their formally restricted worlds, but rather than producing something overly artistic or stylised, like their feature debuts he has instead opted for a more sedate debut, preferring it would seem to showcase the foundations of his talent, while still at the same time finding time for the occasional burst of flamboyance, which he saves mainly for the dream sequences, which includes a Twin peaks style red room confrontation between the two sides of Juzo.

As I’ve covered already it is hard to refer to this film as horror film, even more so when the scenes of horror (a term best used lightly here), are shot with a feeling of detachment, rather than the usual voyeuristic glee while it’s Inoue’s interest in true crime, which also becomes apparent during these scenes, as they all feel grounded very much in realism, including a shocking attempted drowning of Toru’s son, using a bathroom sink. This style of shooting also extends to the flashbacks to the bullying with Juzo is forced to endure, which even with the most outlandish of these moments, with Juzo having acid thrown in his face, still have a shocking nature to them, which makes it all the more surprising that your not left rooting for Juzo, when as an adult he’s finally getting his revenge.

Despite having a psycho alter ego, director Inoue bides his time with unleashing the darker side of Juzo, slowly easing it out by having him first defile parts of Toru's home, by pissing on the bathroom floor and spitting toothpaste foam around the house, while building him up for the first kill which comes almost as a surprise when it does happen, thanks also to the victim not being the most obvious candidate, which can't be said for the majority of #13's other victims bar a couple of notable exceptions such as Toru's son. It is really only during the final school reunion confrontation between Juzo and Toru, that this soberness slips even at one point slipping into farce as Juzo chases Toru around a school desk, proving slightly unintentionally humorous and I was half expecting the Benny Hill theme to even kick in at one point, with #13 at one point, stabbing himself accidentally in the foot, which comes off almost slapstick rather than adding to any tension in the scene, even more so as it feels like the film has runs out of steam, as it draws towards the end as this final confrontation, which despite still managing to find a final couple of shocks, feels far too drawn out as #13 turns from being psychotic to a more playful sadist, verging on the torture porn that I find so tiresome, which could also explain why I found the ending dragging the way it does.

With this feature debut Inoue manages to establish himself as a future name to watch, while clearly wanting to distance himself from the shock tactics, endorsed by so many of the new wave of Asian film makers, none more so than within the horror genre, as the lines between actual horror and grotesque cinema continue to grow all the more blurred. Still there could be something said for the fact that he has the extreme cinema legend Takashi Miike, playing the noisy neighbour who, gets all to familiar with #13 as he becomes one of the early victims, almost as if Inoue is trying to drive home were his inspiration has been drawn from, aswell as a career he would no doubt like to imitate, especially when so many comparisons can be drawn between their styles, especially in respect to Miike's later films, which don't rely so much on the viseral and shocking nature of his earlier films, which made him such a notable film maker to begin with.

Despite the numerous great moments which are contained within this debut, it proves to be an interesting showcase for Inoue's talent, it lacks too much and feels slightly too bloated to warrant giving it more than a single watch, as it's doubtful you'll return to it past that initial viewing.