Some try to be civil, even to people they may despise. There is a certain unspoken rule of hospitably when you invite guests into your home wether they be wanted or unwanted. Make them feel comfortable, offer them a drink (or in this case some cobbler), and try to work out your diffrences. What happens though when four characters each with their own stubborn agenda and opinions meet one afternoon, and no one becomes willing to back down?The answer to that question may or may not be found in Roman Polanski's Carnage. A film that at first shows the masks of false kindness and deceit we wear when confronting strangers in an uncomfortable situation, but then wisely over time lets the characters take them off (along with their gloves) for truly mean spirited dialogue, and thus reveals to the audience the just how monstrous these people really are.
Penelope and Michael Longstreet (Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly) have invited Nancy and Alan Cowan (Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz) over to their apartment in order to discuss a incident involving their children. An altercation between the kids that resulted in the Longstreet's son getting whacked in the face with a stick and suffering two permanently damaged teeth. After five minutes it would seem a compromise has been met by both parties about the event and the Cowan's are heading for the door. Not so fast. Penelope, who you can already tell has her claws out even as she smiles, is not entirely satisfied with the outcome and requests and apology to her son from the Cowan's son. The Cowan's agree, but feel the only way their son will apologize is if he is forced to... In Penelope's eyes that's not good enough.
From here the couples begin to talk about their children, how differently they are raised, truths are revealed, and we are left to decide. But that is hardly the whole picture. Throughout the afternoon outside topics are brought to the table as well. Things thought to be simple conversation pieces, but are later used as targets of humiliation. Things like art, occupation, and even Nancy's upchuck reflex. Then midway through when both parties decide they are getting nowhere, they decide to get mean.
Each of the performances are pretty fascinating. Foster appears to wear her hostility on her sleeve, she is very snippy and spiteful throughout the entire picture. Waltz is her complete opposite, he is so blase and nonchalant about this event that he comes off as more than a little arrogant, especially when he kills the conversation nearly every five minuets to answer his cell phone that never ceases to stop ringing. I recently heard Charlize Theron say in an interview for her role in Young Adult that the trick to playing a drunk character is to attempt to act sober when you are in fact intoxicated. Winslet should have taken this advice for the second half of the film because once the booze comes out I didn't believe she was drunk, just merely acting like she was. Reilly is the true wolf in sheep's clothing here, in the first half he appears to be the most sane and sensible of the bunch, but later reveals this 'nice guy' approach was complete and utter bullshit.
I was reasonably surprised and entertained the way Polanski kept me intrested considering the entire film is essentially like being trapped in a room with four despicable human beings. The film moves at a very brisk pace as alliances are made then quickly broken, wives turn on their husbands and vice versa, then the film decides to just abruptly end without the slightest hint of resolution. In its own little upper-middle class Fight Club way: "When it was over, nothing was solved, but nothing really mattered." B+
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