Anyway, not an entirely succesfull film, comes with some weak turns, but it is incredibly powerful. Haute Tension and À l'intérieur seem harmless joyrides in comparison. Enjoyable in probably not the best word to describe the film, but as an experience it is most likely stronger than the last 100 movies you saw put together. It was a bloody quiet cinema when the film ended.
Works absolutely best if you don’t know the storyline, so don’t read about it. And don’t watch the spoiler filled trailer and pics. Below is a teaser that doesn’t spoil much (only features shots from the first two scenes).
http://www.gomorrahy.com/images/martyrs_ts1.mov
+ a couple of non-spoiling quotes
The most talked-about, shocked-about and divisive movie at the Cannes Film Festival this year wasn’t an entry in any of the competitive strands. It was only screened twice in the marketplace, and quickly became the hottest topic of every conversation.
– – Laugier’s esoteric development of an everyday tabloid headline into a Clive Barker-esque underworld nightmare is a challenging, disturbing and thoroughly uncompromising work. – – The rewards are truly astonishing in what emerges as the most strangely beautiful, utterly thrilling and profoundly astounding shock conclusion of a horror film in some time. – – It couldn’t be bolder in this era of blandness, caution and self-censoring that seems sadly endemic in production and distribution systems.
– ALAN JONES, FANGORIA
An upsetting modern masterpiece that will leave you thinking long after the credits have rolled and the final dedication is to Dario Argento. This will be a hot potato for any festival brave enough to screen this.
– PAUL MCEVOY, FRIGHTFEST

