Carnage

One apartment, two married couples, and a heap of trouble: after the Longstreets’ son knocks out two of the Cowans’ son’s teeth with a stick, the parents meet to discuss the incident. Yet the peaceful gathering of four adults over coffee and cake soon escalates. First, mutual prejudices and aversions come to light; then, shifting alliances begin to form. It is like couples therapy played out as a mixed-doubles match—an intimate chamber piece driven by razor-sharp dialogue, grotesque situational comedy, and a cast of stars clearly relishing their roles. Leading the way is Christoph Waltz, who—with his signature blend of smug politeness and barely concealed schadenfreude—systematically dismantles his own veneer of bourgeois civility.
(Florian Widegger)