Carnage is a talky, brutal comedy about two couples who can’t stop talking. Roman Polanski directs Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet as the Cowans, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly as the Longstreets, in a closed-room drama that never lets anyone leave. It’s based on Yasmina Reza’s play, and it keeps its 80-minute runtime.
The film opens with Ethan Longstreet getting hit in the face with a stick by Zachary Cowan during a fight in the park. Ethan’s parents, Penelope and Michael, invite the Cowans to their Brooklyn apartment for a cordial meeting. The intention is simple: a short discussion, a resolution. The result is anything but.
Trailer, via Sony Pictures Classics.
Zachary and Ethan
The fight is the trigger, not the plot. Zachary hits Ethan, and the parents show up to talk. The conflict comes from how each couple handles that fact. One of them sees it as an accident; the other sees it as a sign of something wrong with the other family.
The Cowans and the Longstreets
Alan Cowan, played by Waltz, is a businessman. He takes endless calls on his BlackBerry, which keeps interrupting the discussion. Nancy Cowan, played by Winslet, is the one who calls Penelope and Michael “superficially fair-minded.” Penelope, played by Foster, and Michael, played by Reilly, complain about Alan’s arrogance and dullness.
The couples start friendly. Then they start arguing. The conversation draws out. The couples try to leave twice, and something always brings them back in.
The Hamster
The argument about the hamster is a turning point. Nancy accuses Michael of being a murderer because he, annoyed by the noise, set his daughter’s pet hamster loose in the street. Penelope becomes emotional about the hamster. Everyone argues with each other.
Other issues come up. There is a risky drug Alan is working to defend, and Michael’s mother has been prescribed it. There is also the question of idealism and responsibility that runs through Penelope’s current work.
The Script
The script is by Reza and Polanski. It keeps the play’s structure but trims some length. The film moves at a steady clip, and the shorter runtime keeps the tension tighter. The dialogue is sharp, and the actors deliver it with precision.
The Performance
Foster and Winslet are the stars of this show. Waltz and Reilly are solid but secondary, supporting the two leads who drive the conflict. The smaller roles, including the voice actors who play Walter, Dennis, Michael’s Mother, the Secretary, the Jogger, and the Neighbor, round out the world but don’t carry it.
The Space
The apartment is the whole world. Polanski keeps the camera close to the actors, capturing every twitch and pause. The actors work in tight spaces.
The Verdict
Carnage is a good film, not a great one. It’s a comedy of manners that turns into a comedy of no manners. The performances are excellent. The script is sharp. But the film’s structure, based on a play that stays locked in one room, shows its limits. The pace slows in the middle. The arguments repeat themselves.
The film premiered at the 2011 Venice International Film Festival on 1 September 2011, where it competed for the Golden Lion. It was released theatrically on 18 November 2011. At the 69th Golden Globe Awards, Foster and Winslet received nominations for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. It was Polanski’s last film to be shot in English until The Palace in 2023.
The film is a taut, uncomfortable hour and twenty minutes. It asks a simple question: what happens when two families sit down to talk about a boy who got hit with a stick? The answer is not pretty.
KEY FACTS BOX
- Runtime: 80 minutes
- Director: Roman Polanski
- Writers: Roman Polanski, Yasmina Reza
- Lead cast: Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly
- Premiere: Venice International Film Festival, 1 September 2011
- Theatrical release: 18 November 2011
- Golden Globe nominations: Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Foster, Winslet)
- Polanski’s last English-language film before The Palace (2023)
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