Funny Games (2007 film)

This satirical indictment of realistic horror sees Michael Haneke (“Amour”, “Cache”, “The White Ribbon”) swap out his empathic tendencies for a sardonic, pitch-black sense of humor, and the result is the most divisive film of his career. I don’t fault anyone for not responding well to its treatment of violence or taking issue with his thesis (I disagree with his message as well—plenty of media involves situations audiences would never truly desire, we aren’t THAT dumb), but the twisted comedy combined with great performances all around, including a rare great child performance, left me feeling positive towards this one.

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