By Dennis Tavernetti
“Carnage” from The Indie Series presented by Emerging Pictures in HD at USCB Center for the Arts on Monday, April 2, at 7 p.m.
Synopsis: “Carnage” is a razor sharp, biting comedy centered on parental differences. After two preteen boys duke it out on a private school playground, the parents of the “victim” invite the parents of the “bully” over to work out their issues and gain an apology. A polite discussion of childrearing soon escalates into verbal warfare, with all four parents revealing their true colors both in parenting skills and as “adult” couples. None of them will escape the carnage, however no blood is spilled. This is all about verbal confrontation, which is quite humorous.
Ratings & Reviews: The two leading film web sites grant this film an IMDb rating of 7.2 and Rotten Tomatoes critics rating of 71 and audience of 72. Good marks. Sun Herald: “A wickedly dark delight”; UK Observer: “… Wickedly funny”; Cleveland Plain Dealer: “… four outstanding performances. Loved it!”; Roger Ebert: “The point isn’t the plot, it is the performances.”; Rex Reid: “Scathing and funny and cynical …” and The New York Times: “… beneath the surface of civilized behavior lurks an unquenchable animal impulse, a principle of aggression we labor in vain to suppress. I know these people. Why be coy? I am these people.”
Previewer’s Comment: This Indie film is an adaptation of an award winning successful play. It was filmed by Roman Polanski, who loves tight confined spaces. The confined space of the apartment and the hallway forces the characters/actors and audience to face the interaction of each other without escape. It is funny, but it a serious funny and the result is perhaps a “Who is Afraid of Virginia Woolf” with biting humor. It resonates with audiences because it reveals parts of our personalities we spend a great deal of time and effort working to keep hidden from everyone, other than ourselves. None of the characters in this film escape discovery of their inner self, which is hung out for all to see. Luckily we can escape into humor for relief, because the space doesn’t get any larger.
Rated: Rated R for adult content and profanity.
Tickets for adults are $8, seniors $7, students $6. Call USCB Center for the Arts box office at 843-521-4145 or purchase day of performance. Box office opens one hour prior to show time.
Dennis Tavernetti is a resident of St. Helena Island who retired to the Lowcountry having a lifelong interest in the arts. He encouraged USCB‘s Center for the Arts to investigate the possibility of bringing Indie, World and Documentary HD films to Beaufort.
