Its sad to see how many viewers have given this film the lowest possible mark purely on the basis of the final scene. Their knee-jerk response to the unquestionably horrific act is interesting in itself though, as it raises the same question I had to ask myself after the film - namely, what is it about sexual violence, as opposed to other forms of violence, that makes it so overwhelmingly unconscionable? There are mainstream films far more gory than this, yet the manner in which the woman is murdered left me feeling physically sick to a degree that I have not experienced before. It cannot be claimed that the film does anything to explore this question, however the (admittedly unsubtle) references to the ongoing war in Iraq reminds us that such brutal acts occur daily, many the result of our own 'civilised' democracy.
Its a shame that this debate has overshadowed what is otherwise a strong work. The film certainly has its problems - I for one struggled to warm to the director's staid style, which at times left me feeling like I was watching a play not film. Also certain scenes were so cringe-inducingly amateurish that I have to wonder whether they were deliberately like they were, to point up the fakeness of some of the characters - the kitchen conversation in particular between the TV chef and his wife felt like some European air freshener advert that had been poorly dubbed into English. The manner too in which the director cuts from the rape to archive shots of war was incredibly crass - the presence of the sword in the house as a decorative item (itself a tool of war), and its usage in the attack, could have been enough to make this link if a more skillful director was in charge.
For all its mistakes though, there were as many positives. The scene in which the boys share a joint on the beach in near silence is one of the highlights, a wonderfully subtle suggestion of their dislocation. I felt too that the narrative was far more ambiguous than to suggest simply that Robert's acts were simply the outcome of his drug use. For me the final message was that Robert was a cypher for all of us that live in western societies - apparently civilised in our behaviour (cf his musical accomplishment), and yet part of a system that relies on the subjugation - often violently - of outsiders.
Basically if you come to this film expecting 'entertainment' then you'll be disappointed, or worse. If you look on it as 'art' you might find a flawed, but still compelling piece of film making. Perhaps ultimately though the film simply isn't good enough to justify the taboo-challenging final act.
Its a shame that this debate has overshadowed what is otherwise a strong work. The film certainly has its problems - I for one struggled to warm to the director's staid style, which at times left me feeling like I was watching a play not film. Also certain scenes were so cringe-inducingly amateurish that I have to wonder whether they were deliberately like they were, to point up the fakeness of some of the characters - the kitchen conversation in particular between the TV chef and his wife felt like some European air freshener advert that had been poorly dubbed into English. The manner too in which the director cuts from the rape to archive shots of war was incredibly crass - the presence of the sword in the house as a decorative item (itself a tool of war), and its usage in the attack, could have been enough to make this link if a more skillful director was in charge.
For all its mistakes though, there were as many positives. The scene in which the boys share a joint on the beach in near silence is one of the highlights, a wonderfully subtle suggestion of their dislocation. I felt too that the narrative was far more ambiguous than to suggest simply that Robert's acts were simply the outcome of his drug use. For me the final message was that Robert was a cypher for all of us that live in western societies - apparently civilised in our behaviour (cf his musical accomplishment), and yet part of a system that relies on the subjugation - often violently - of outsiders.
Basically if you come to this film expecting 'entertainment' then you'll be disappointed, or worse. If you look on it as 'art' you might find a flawed, but still compelling piece of film making. Perhaps ultimately though the film simply isn't good enough to justify the taboo-challenging final act.