I really enjoyed this film. I'm not a Roman Polanski fan. And I'm not particularly a fan of any member of the cast. But it all came together wonderfully. The film oscillates between bizarre, hysterical, and maddening, just as the characters do. Each has their turn as the voice of reason, as the child, as the higher ground and the low. Often the characters will represent the holy and the profane in the same breath. It's a valuable lesson in humanity. Even at our lowest, we are constantly aware of the highest of our values, and constantly altering our behavior because of it. It's when we break down and abandon all of our social mores that we really show ourselves, and while it may not be pretty, at least the movie manages to make it funny! The movie's technicality is also a plus. It manages to feel like a play and a film at just the right intervals to avoid distraction from the characters and the degeneration (or progression, depending on your outlook) of their interaction. Admittedly, it was almost cheating. The film basically brags about its resemblance to The Exterminating Angel. At one point a character even says "No one is forcing you to stay". But if you're going to steal, steal from the best.

I chose this film off of blue ridge on demand knowing nothing about it. It caught my eye because I saw John C. Reilly in the description as one of the leading actors, being I'm not even a big fan of Reilly, I have no idea why it compelled me to view it but I'm glad I did.To put it shortly, the film is about two couples having a meet due to their children getting into a physical fight with each other.All the characters were believable, even the ridiculous character played by Jodie Foster, because I happen to know someone just like that personally. The movie was pretty predictable but it did not take away from the brilliance. The wives turning on the husbands and vise versa, everyone one person is against every other character at some point or another and all their points of view are able to be related to. Everyone of them has so much character and emotion which is ripped away and put out for every one to see at an alarming rate, especially with the help of a few drinks. I won't go into a lot of detail but kudos to the entire cast for playing difficult characters. What I mean by difficult is, well I had a hunch and come to find out that it was true that the entire movie was shot in real time without any breaks or pauses, and that must be something difficult to do. Any person can go through several emotions in a few hours from every day life experiences but these people bear everything from generally hospitable and laughter down to point of marriage breaking arguments and saying they don't even care about the situation involving their children period. The cast pulls it off amazingly, it comes across realistic, exciting, and authentic. To think, the movie begins with the two couples already together with one of the pairs heading out the door right from the start and an entire cleverly put together film takes place before they make their way out. Actually I do believe the flick ends even before the couple leaves which would probably be its only real downfall to the general public, the completely abrupt ending, even though I personally thought that it fit the moment justly.

Carnage is a fascinating and darkly comedic drama that certainly lives up to its title. Two pairs of parents, the Cowans (Christoph Waltz and Kate Winslet) and the Longstreets (John C Reilly and Jodie Foster) meet up to discuss an incident involving a tussle between their two sons. The Longstreets invite the Cowans over to their apartment to discuss the appropriate next steps, however the discussion ends up snowballing into total carnage.Nearly the entire film is set in the one room, the Longstreet's lounge, which in itself makes for fascinating viewing, creating a caged-in, uncomfortable atmosphere. At the beginning the two sets of parents do not know each other, intensifying that discomfort, and as a viewer watching that one room for the entire film becomes more and more enveloping – towards the end I felt as if I too were trapped in the apartment, unable to escape the spiralling chaos that was unfolding. The film is based on the play "God of Carnage" which I have seen and enjoyed, so I was glad to see that the effectiveness of the staging had not been lost in its move to the screen. A good casting was a strong contributing factor in creating this effect of being "drawn in" – in particular the two actresses. This film is all about clashes and is demonstrated most strongly in the characters. Winslet's character is anxious and stressed, keen to move on quickly from the incident with the least fuss; whilst Foster's character is much more ideological and full of very firm and unchanging views on the world, believing that her son deserves more than just a quick apology. The two men are also wildly different: Reilly's character is accommodating and free-flowing (a stark contrast from his wife too) and Waltz, a seriously underrated actor who I would love to see in more things, is a detached father who's primary concern is his work. I always find films with character clashes fascinating and this one does it to perfection, embracing some parenting stereotypes to bring the story to a head.It's difficult to discuss the story without revealing anything about the plot or spoiling the way it unfolds. It is however really quite realistic of how an argument between complete strangers can develop, eventually skewing this out of proportion as the story progresses. The ending is bizarre – when I first saw it I felt it was very anti- climactic, however upon reflection I realised that it was actually the best ending that the film could have had. Some may disagree but I felt that any other ending would have been cheesy or disappointing.Carnage is fascinating and darkly comedic throughout and features a strong cast of wonderfully different characters. Although the story might be, at times, outrageously exaggerated, I think it's an interesting watch because it stems from such a believable place. It's definitely one to spend some time reflecting on afterwards.

When someone told me what this movie is about I didn't believe him. Of course it used to be a play and therefor the variety of sets can be counted with less than a hand but "Carnage" takes it to the extreme showing just one living room for most of the time. But while you sit there, watching like the first half and feeling "uncomfortable" you suddenly begin to realize how this will eventually turn out. Watch this movie like this: What would happen if adults would start to say their mind about more or less anything that comes to their minds be it false assumptions, people they want to protect or ideals they try to hold up high. Oh and while you see the first line of their false courtesy crumble, get your popcorn out, this truly is one of Jodie Fosters better emotional roles ;)