Martyrs

Martyrs

Starring Mylene Jampanoi, Morjana Alaoui, Catherine Begin, Isabelle Chasse

Directed by Pascal Laugier

The Story:
When she was a child, Lucie (Mylene Jampanoi) was kidnapped, brutally tortured and beaten, but she managed to escape.  She spent the rest of her childhood in an asylum, where she befriends Anna (Morjana Alaoui), and the two become fast friends, despite Lucie continually being haunted by an evil creature.

Fifteen years later, Lucie is out for revenge against those who kidnapped her, and believes she's tracked them down.  Anna begins doubting Lucie, thinking she's gone crazy due to her seeing the evil being everywhere, but she reluctantly agrees to help her.  However, it's just the beginning of a spiral into a world of total depravity and torture beyond imagination.

The Synopsis:
Horror movies have many subgenres - alien movies, slashers, paranormal, and so on.  There's a budding new subgenre coming from France called the New French Extremity, showcasing a deeper version of torture porn that goes beyond just grotesque scenes for the sake of being grotesque - but as a means to an end.  Films like this include "Irreversible," "High Tension," "Frontier(s)," and the one-two punch of "Inside" and "Martyrs" which - despite not being connected at all - combined form an unrelenting journey into the heart of terror that sucks you in from the start and keeps your eyes riveted to the screen, even as you're totally repulsed by what you're seeing.

"Martyrs" is a rare film in that it showcases torture (in extreme, very extreme, fashion), but doesn't do it just because it has to.  This torture is necessary for the story to continue, and the reasoning behind it is deeply philosophical and thought-provoking.  The title itself gives it away, but the point of the torture is so the person being tortured can achieve a new state of awareness, where they leave the body and experience what life is like on the other side.  Here, it's not used as a deeply religious aspect, but rather a transcendence to a whole new world of understanding.  In order for a person to achieve this - they say - the person must go through extensive torture and pain to leave the body.  And the victims are truly tortured beyond all understanding.

While the main thrust of the film focuses on torture, there's an underlying story between the two main characters.  Lucie was the torture victim as a child, and has been haunted by it ever since.  She sees an evil presence, and tracks down some of the people responsible for her abduction.  Anna is Lucie's closest (and only) friend, who stands by her through thick and thin, even though she never experienced what Lucie was going through.  These two characters have a deep connection and it's a very strange story because, despite feeling sympathy for Lucie's past, we still are repulsed by what she does.

The blood and gore are in abundance in "Martyrs," and there's a particular sequence involving a family that's downright unnerving, but unrelenting in a way that you can't look away.  Lucie herself is tortured by the creature, creating deep cuts in her body.  We see other torture victims who have been terrifyingly mutilated, and the creature itself is absolutely cringe-worthy.  Basically, from start to finish, it's a sad, depressing, and absolutely abrasive film.  Yet it's one of the best horror films in recent memory, exactly for those reasons.  For me - an avid horror fan - this is one that sticks with me, and makes other films like "Saw" and "Hostel" look like Disney classics.  There is an American remake, but even that is like watching kittens play with yarn compared to this masterpiece.

The Summary:
Not for the faint of heart, "Martyrs" is a must-see for any avid horror fan, who has a strong stomach and can handle seeing images that no American director would touch.

The Score: A+