Martyrs 2008

Martyrs became the most talked about and divisive movie at the Cannes Film Festival of 2008. Although it wasn't entered in any of the competitive categories and only screened twice, it quickly became the hottest topic of every conversation. Fans of the film absolutely loved it and those who hated Martyrs saw it as a degrading new low in film making. Being a fan I would completely disagree with these opinions and see Martyrs as a breath of fresh air in a genre of film that has become stale and repetitive.

The film opens with a young girl, scared and disorientated, running away from a seemingly disused warehouse. The girl, Lucie (Mylene Jampanoi) is then placed in an orphanage where she forms a close bond with Anna (Morjana Alaoui).

Jumping forward fifteen years we see Anna and Lucie arrive at a families home with a loaded shotgun seeking revenge for what Lucie had suffered in the warehouse.

I really don't want to reveal anymore of the plot as I believe it would ruin it for future viewers. Let me just say that the first half of the film is incredibly brutal and violent, what could be seen as the second act, while absolutely harrowing, becomes in some way oddly spiritual.

With Martyrs I feel director Pascal Laugier has created a work that while thoroughly uncompromising and disturbing, is also extremely thought provoking and beautiful. The two lead actresses Jampanoi and Alaoui are excellent, both providing strong, believable performances.While Laugier's direction of the film is masterful. Martyrs is, in my opinion, one of the best horror films of the last ten years and clearly shows that today's French horror is pushing boundaries while Hollywood sticks to the safe, routine option.