Martyrs
Sub-Genre- French Horror/Torture Porn
In Attendance- Me
Cast Members of Note- Mylene Jampanoi, Morjana Alaoui. Directed by Pascal Laugier.
What's it About?- My usual humor infused "What's it about" section is taking a rest for this movie, because really, I don't see how I could use humor for this review and make it work.
I'm going to keep this short and spoiler free, because saying too much will ruin the experience for first time viewers: The film opens with Lucie, a young girl who has been held captive for more than a year, escaping her captors and running to find help. It's visibly obvious that she's been abused and neglected, and she says that she has no recollection of what happened to her.
Over time, Lucie meets and grows close to Anna, another girl from the youth home where she now lives. Anna becomes a caretaker of sorts to the still emotionally crippled Lucie, becoming naturally protective of her. A creature begins to "haunt" Lucie, mutilating and stalking the girl...
Flash forward 15 years... and this is where I stop. To explain what comes next would ruin the movie IMO, and this is one that you deserve to see knowing as little about it as possible. I will say that what comes next is a brutal, shocking, blood soaked ride that doesn't let up until the ending arrives and promptly knocks you on your ass. And no, there is no lame twist ending... unless you consider actually pondering the meaning of a horror movie on a deep level, for hours afterward, to be a twist.
The Good- Ryan Rotten at shocktillyoudrop.com claims that this film "is the new yard stick against which all forms of extreme genre films should be measured against." I couldn't agree more.
The French just have a way of making movies, especially horror movies, mean something more. Sometimes it comes across as a being bit self indulgent, and sometimes it just plain is, but adding a level of mental/spiritual depth to something as brutal and painstaking as Martyrs is, is a work of art. Plain and simple. They take chances. They push the envelope. They destroy both genre and human boundaries, and sometimes redefine them. Transcend them even. This is one of those times.
I really don't mean for this to come across as a "Martyrs is the best thing ever!" sort of suck fest, because it isn't perfect. I just think that Pascal Laugier did something bold and daring, and pulled it off extremely well. Some will truly love this film, some will absolutely downright hate it, and others will not know what the hell just happened to them... whichever way you feel though, it's a movie that deserves to be seen.
The Bad- It will always drive me nuts not to know exactly "what was whispered" to Mademoiselle near the end. I don't want to ruin anything for the uninitiated, so I'll leave it at that... but once you see the movie, I know you'll agree. I need to know!
The Downright Horrendous- Inside made me cringe; Haute Tension made me flinch; Baby Blues made me want to run away from my TV; and yet none of them made me feel the unease and disgust that the content of this movie did. Uncomfortable, downright tough to sit through, painful, depressing, uplifting, nasty... all of those monikers apply to Martyrs.
The Gory- Gory doesn't begin to cover the goings on in this movie; from start, to finish, everything about Martyrs is bloody, violent, painfully visceral, and some might even say repulsive or disgusting. As a horror fan, I loved it, although I did turn my head a few times.
The Naked- We get a bit of brief nudity and even a lesbian kiss, but it's nothing pleasurable... trust me.
Best Line- "Keep wondering, Etienne." Brilliant.
What did we learn?- The world works in sick and twisted ways. Also, don't ever trust rich people. Also, I don't want to be a Martyr. Never. Ever.
Rating- A+ (10/10) This movie is nothing short of brilliant, in execution and in concept. The thing about it is though, this movie may not be for you. Hell, this movie may not be for most people, but damn if it isn't compelling as hell. It makes you think, makes you cringe, and really makes you wonder... If you're any sort of horror fan at all, you must see this movie.
Final Thoughts- This is exactly how this movie will make you feel.
