Carnage (Roman Polanski)

When my son was in second grade, he was in a schoolyard fight and came out on top. I was horrified when I learned about it. We were in West Texas, a land of machismo and guns, and I had been fighting my own battle and against violence: T was allowed to carry sticks only when they weren't used as weapons, and toy guns were (initially) banned. My feelings became more complex when I learned more details from the cohort of second grade teachers. By their account, once they disrupted the fight--pulled T off the other kid-- they checked for injuries and then questioned each boy independently. T, a smart but not a standout student, came alive when they asked him about the incident. After first informing them that his parents did not condone fighting, he fired a litany of humiliations and sly bullying that he and others had suffered from the other boy since kindergarten. He then concluded with the simple statement that he couldn't take it any more. Based on his eloquent defense and their own knowledge of each boy's character, the teachers decided punish not T but the other boy.

I don't remember ever discussing the event with the boy's parents, though we did later carpool and socialize. That anecdote, however, became part of the narrative I would tell when someone wanted to know about T. And as much as I told the story to illustrate his rhetorical prowess, I also admired his willingness and ability to stick up for himself.

I relate this story now because it resonates with the themes in Carnage, Polanski's adaptation of Yasmina Reza's play, God of Carnage. In it we are introduced to two pairs of parents dealing with a similar situation and similar reactions. Then, within the confines of a Brooklyn apartment, we watch as each parent admits to and/or rejects each of those reactions and feelings. In the process, we also witness the exposure of the faultlines of their marriages and the fragility of their values. It's a brutal and uncomfortable --even more so than on the stage because the audience is brought so close in.

Great performances by all four actors.
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