Matthew Dancona

Matthew suggests | 26 January 2008

issue 26 January 2008

THEATRE

I can strongly recommend God of Carnage, the new play by Yasmina Reza, which tracks the descent into madness of a meeting between two couples to discuss an altercation between their respective sons. All starts with impeccable manners, stilted conversation and discussion of recipes. And then, in a sort of Moulinex blend of Abigail’s Party and Lord of the Flies, bedlam breaks out. The cast, led by Ralph Fiennes, is flawless, and, while the philosophical points are well made, it is the belly laughs you remember.

CINEMA

Plenty to see at the movies right now. For those who like classy ghost films, The Orphanage, directed by Juan Antonio Bayona, is a superior effort, with some genuinely terrifying editing. I finally got to see the new print of Bertolucci’s The Conformist, and what a stunning, psychologically troubling experience it is: truly, one of the great films of all time.

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