Before it crashes and burns in an extended heap of steaming, stinking pretentious crap, Martyrs amply demonstrates that Pascal Laugier is a very talented director. As a writer, not so much.
Up until that point, Martyrs precariously teeters on the edge of insanity, a pile-driver of stomach-cramping tension and hair-raising, incredibly bloody violence and despair. Morjana Alaoui and Mylène Jampanoï star as two young women who were imprisoned and tortured as children. One of them breaks into a home where a happy family is enjoying a leisurely Sunday morning breakfast. The calm morning is transformed into a hellish nightmare of screaming shotgun blasts and punishment appears to have been meted out today for the terrifying sins of yesterday. But from somewhere in the country house an animalistic cry emerges, and the two young women have miles to go before they sleep.
Laugier strings together several explosive sequences that could well serve as climatic setpieces for any number of horror thrillers. Once he's shot his load, so to speak, it's time for The Real Meaning to be unfurled, and it's here that Laugier trots out an overbaked, extended, and frankly boring third act that made me impatient for the ending, which was ridiculous, as expected. Laugier strains for meaning and symbolism but is grasping at existential straws.
There's no doubt that Laugier is talented in the composition of the action scenes and the orchestration of blood and guts. The editing is sharp, the photography is gorgeous, the performances are strong. And when the movie is moving, it gallops like a tornado.
It's only when it slows down and reveals its high school-level philosophical bent that it quickly loses steam. Perhaps if the opening scenes had involved the characters to a greater degree -- beyond the broad sketches of the childhood horrors they suffered, we know little of the two young women -- we could empathize more with them as their plight spirals into the worst that Laugier can imagine.
As it is, Martyrs exists to shock audiences and pretend to have greater meaning. Of course, as often happens here at Twitch, both Todd and Rodney were far more impressed than me. Mack is sitting across from me typing his review; I don't know what he'll think. Need I add, "your mileage may vary"?
Related Links
More from Martyrs:
- Reviews: FNC 2008 - A Review of MARTYRS
- Reviews: Review: Pascal Laugier's MARTYRS
- Reviews: Fantastic Fest 2008: Martyrs
- Reviews: TIFF Review: MARTYRS
Oh my. I'm usually "that guy" - The one in a sea of people proclaiming a movie as brilliant and I'm like... "It was OK" (this year particularly with JCVD and Deadgirl). I have tickets for this tonight. I've kind of hyped in my head. I will simmer those expectations down a bit.
This is a totally biased and possibly stupid assertion, but I think this may be the most reasonable review I've read so far on Martyrs. Maybe I'm an ass since I haven't see the film yet. And maybe I'm an ass for ruining it for myself before I do. After all of the insanely large amounts of hype this film has been getting for the past 6 months, I begged a friend to tell me exactly what this shocking third act reveals.... and yeah, there's the slight possibility the film might pull it off. But seriously, having it described in words, it'd take a major fucking genius to do just that. Sounds very juvenile. Sounds like something my friends and I would've done in our films back when were 16, angry, and not getting laid.
From what I gathered, this is one of those films that I would've found brilliant in high school. Something along the lines of A Clockwork Orange. Seriously, anyone who really thinks that film holds up when you pass the age of 25 probably haven't seen it since then, or are really lying to themsevles.
Or maybe this film is good. But it reminds me of Audition so far as far as the reviews. Everyone going, "Dude, this film is so fucked up, but sooo good and smart." Only thing is, 99.9% of people didn't nderstand what it is that makes that film fucked up... If you think the first half of Audition is a simple minded romantic comedy and were shocked when it turned violent, you missed the point. That thing is a vicous, nasty expose of Japanese gender roles from minute one....
Seriously, it doesn't take much talent, thought, or skill to make a fucked up and disturbing film. Tacking on a simple minded attack on religion during the final 15 minutes does not justify, excuse, or redeem an an hour and half of tasteless violence, nihilism, and mysogny.
It's envitable that I'll see this thing. But still, just the trailer makes me sick. Yes, that image of the women in her underwear, shaved head, running the street crying is intense. And easy. It's not new or progressive to make the violence real. Sorry, Inside is well constructed, but still sick. I'm not sure I get that type of horror. It's not a comment on violence, the pleasure is still in watching the violence. Only now, it's real. We see the pain, it's not over the top and laughable like a Jason flick. I just don't get it.
But I could be wrong. Having not seen the film. But it's still refreshing to not read the same thing yet again. Even the negative reviews still seem to say that this is an IMPORTANT film. What the fuck does that mean? It's like Salo. Everyone I know who's seen it thinks it's physicall nauseating, never want to watch again, but still reccomend that everyone else see it. Those kinds of comments make me suspicous. No matter how intense a film is, if it's worth reccomending, it's worth seeing again. These reviews make me think that Martyrs is the new, hip movie to like, and too many are too embarassed to admit that they flat out hated it. So they cop out and say that they'd didn't enjoy it but it's still worth seeing.
Martyrs is not HALF the film that Audition was, and frankly it doesn't attempt to play in that league. It is visceral first, brain waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay last.
Note that as Twitch goes:
The Yays: Todd & Rodney
The Nays: Peter, Kurt, Michael
Does Mack tip the balance, or but it at a dead heat? Ooooh the anticiiiiiiipation.
For completeness sake:
Kurt's Capsule:
"Where to start with Martyrs? Controversy and buzz follows it around. (And as fest programmer Ant Timpson commented over beers afterwards, it will at the very least make a fine spread of glossies in Fangoria) The film is apex of the type of modern horror picture that the phrase ‘torture porn’ is often applied. I got the sense that the film (and filmmakers) thought they were making art that had something to say, or perhaps to have a dialogue with the viewer. But the film has little actually to say (it is more interested in fist pumping its technical prowess - which admittedly the picture has in spades). Since it does not let the audience in on the concept until the last 10 minutes, a dialogue with the picture is rendered impossible, unless one wanted to watch it again, which I certainly have no desire to do."
Michael's Capsule:
"After all the hoopla that's been made about this film on Twitch, I am reminded yet again that a little genre goes a long ways. What a boring, pretentious piece of crap. I want my two hours back. Once again, a filmmaker thinks he is pushing the envelope by amping up the blood tactics. Truth is, all of this has been done before in paintings depicting Christian martyrs flayed alive. Nothing new here. Move along."
3 to 3.
I'll be there - You better stay true to your words, Rodney!
Seriously guys, this is why I come to this site so much. The reviews are honest, genuine, well written and, more importantly, balanced.
I'm actually excited to see Martyrs, if anything to see a provocative (for better or worse) film that makes people talk and discuss. It's refreshing when any film prompts debate, and the anti-hype that's been currently heaping on this film is interesting. At first, this film was god's gift to horror and film in general and now it's almost as if it's starting to become "cool" to hate on this film now.
Thanks to the good writers at Twitch I now have a balanced stack of ammo in my head to take into the theatre and think for myself.
I love that there are totally opposing reviews of this movie on the same site. That's awesome. I liked the film, though I wouldn't call it god's gift to horror, or whatever. I found it so violent it was nearly impossible to watch, but the psychological side had more impact on me. I also think it doesn't matter that the female leads weren't well developed characters, because the point is that the torturers didn't care. They clearly weren't looking for certain qualities (beyond a 'young woman') for their captives. The premise is sickening, and sad (am I the only person who was almost in tears when they find the woman in the basement of the house? yeah, probably), and INTERESTING. Not perfect, but not total trash, either. Yeah, it's pretentious to make a film like this. I'm glad he did, so people can fight about it on the internet.
My original Martyrs coverage has been updated so I encourage those interested in the debate to check it out.
Yeah, I liked Lucie a lot more than Anna. Basically felt nothing towards Anna, and my assumption is that Lucie was a part of Anna's vision though instead of guilt she feels even more of a connetion with Lucie because she is going through what Lucie did. I always figured Anna was crazy too, and she was sort of obsessed with Lucie, so it would make sense that she would imagine she would be reunited with Lucie in the afterlife.
I have a lot of ideas of what Anna described to the blew-her-head-off lady, but I find that I don't know how to really articulate them...
And yeah, Lucie was very hot!
I'm sorry guys maybe I should assume this would happen but if anyone reveals part of the fucking plot can you put SPOILER in your comments? Only one nice person did that. Maybe I shouldn't read about a film I haven't seen, and granted it comes with the territory if people on a site like Twitch (meaning you have reasons why you do and don't like a film and that's great) are actually discussing the film but I guess I figured the discussion was kept to the themes and little on detail. My bad for assuming I suppose. Sorry for swearing too, I just wasn't thinking the story would be ruined for me. I bought my tickets for the Screamfest next month. I plan on forgetting what I read.
Sorry about spoiling it for you. I've commented in a couple of the reviews for this same movie, and guess I forgot this wasn't the one that said "SPOILERS" at the top of the thread.