In this day of obsessive helicopter parents who monitor and attempt to manipulate their children’s every move, Carnage represents an evening of absurdity when two such sets of parents meet to “manage” the aftermath of a school yard conflict involving their 11 year old sons. And, as the word carnage would imply – there is ultimately, an “emotional” bloodbath of epic proportions.
The massacre takes place at the comfortable Manhattan apartment belonging to the “victim”’s parents – Penelope and Michael Longstreet – played brilliantly and convincingly by Jodie Foster and Michael C Reilly. Their apartment is decorated with artifacts Penelope has collected from her travels around the globe and seems to convey a message of social consciousness – she is obsessively aware of the plight of third world people and is working on a book to pay homage to their struggles.
The visiting parents are Alan and Nancy Cowan – performances so spot on by Kate Winslet and Christolf Waltz that you will concede to a second viewing of the film because your own hysterical laughter will drown out some of their dialogue. They are a more “professional” couple – she an investment banker and he a pharmaceutical attorney who is married to his cell phone.
Based on a single school incident, Carnage spends 79 minutes in the Longstreets apartment as a well intended apology and resolution takes a turn and evolves into a slaughter where no one will be left standing. The comedy is so dry and the dialogue is so clever that you will find yourself laughing at the absolute absurdity of it all. That a simple meeting of parents could turn into such utter chaos speaks volumes of the dangers of over-involvement in our children’s lives.
The meeting of two sets of parents – one in the mindset of the victim who has been wronged, and the other in the mindset of the criminal who seeks atonement creates a conflict that at it’s core is actually laughable. The convergence of their individual mindsets, the states of their marriages, the emotional baggage they carry, their polar opposite parenting styles create a violent emotional tornado that starts with a soft breeze and ends with almost total destruction. Believe it or not, the journey is hysterical – especially if you have children yourself and can imagine the scenario.
Directed by Roman Polanski, the film was shot entirely on location in Paris, France.
A Rave Review rated this film a 3 out of 5.
