Martyrs (2008 film)
Martyrs | |
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Directed by | Pascal Laugier |
Written by | Pascal Laugier |
Produced by | Richard Grandpierre Simon Trottier |
Starring | |
Cinematography |
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Edited by | Sébastien Prangère |
Music by | Seppuku Paradigm |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Wild Bunch |
Release date |
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Running time | 99 minutes |
Countries |
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Language | French |
Budget | €2.8 million[2] |
Box office | $1.1 million[3] |
Martyrs is a 2008 psychological horror film written and directed by Pascal Laugier, and starring Mylène Jampanoï, Morjana Alaoui, and Catherine Bégin. It follows a young woman's quest to seek revenge against individuals who abducted and tortured her as a child, and her friend, also a victim of abuse.
An international co-production of France and Canada, Martyrs was filmed in
In 2017, IGN named it one of the best horror films of all time, ranking it number 32 in a list of 100 films,[4] while Rolling Stone included it in a 2021 list of the greatest horror films of the 21st century.[5]
An American-produced remake of the film bearing the same title premiered in 2015.
Plot
In 1971, young Lucie Jurin escapes from a disused slaughterhouse where she has been imprisoned and tortured for more than a year. She is placed in an orphanage, where she befriends Anna Assaoui, who quickly discovers that Lucie believes she is being tormented by a disfigured, demonic woman.
Fifteen years later, Lucie bursts into the home of a seemingly normal family, the Belfonds — Gabrielle, her husband, and their children Marie and Antoine — and kills them with a shotgun. Lucie believes that they were involved in her torture as a child. Anna arrives and is horrified by the carnage, but ultimately decides to help Lucie clean the crime scene and dispose of the bodies. Anna later discovers Gabrielle alive and tries to help her escape, but Lucie catches them and beats Gabrielle to death with a hammer. Lucie is again attacked by the demonic woman, but Anna only sees Lucie hurting herself; the demonic woman resembles another victim that Lucie left behind at the slaughterhouse and is a psychological manifestation of Lucie's guilt. Lucie then runs outside and kills herself by slitting her own throat.
The following morning, Anna, while on the phone with her estranged abusive mother, discovers a secret passageway in the home's living room, leading to a
Anna becomes the group's latest subject. After a period of being brutally beaten and degraded, she is told that she has progressed further than any other test subject and reached the "final stage." She is
An intertitle explains that "martyr" is Greek for "witness". The film ends with a shot of Anna lying catatonic on a table. During the credits, home movies of Anna and Lucie as children are shown.
Cast
- Mylène Jampanoï as Lucie Jurin
- Jessie Pham as young Lucie
- Morjana Alaoui as Anna Assaoui
- Erika Scott as young Anna
- Catherine Bégin as Mademoiselle
- Isabelle Chasse as The Creature
- Robert Toupin as Mr. Belfond (the father)
- Patricia Tulasne as Gabrielle Belfond (the mother)
- Juliette Gosselin as Marie Belfond
- Xavier Dolan-Tadros as Antoine Belfond
- Louise Boisvert as Anna's mother (voice)
- Jean-Marie Moncelet as Étienne
- Emilie Miskdjian as Sarah
Analysis
Critic Maitland McDonagh notes that the film contains the theme of the Roman Catholic notions of sainthood and martyrdom in its exploration of spiritual transcendence via physical pain.[6] Laugier himself stated that he intended to make the film's audience "feel real pain" and to "share it as part of an honest process [of] communion... It was a very Catholic process. I have a very Catholic mind."[7] In a 2009 interview with Electric Sheep magazine, he stated that he feels "the Western world is sick... Horror cinema allowed me to express this in a very direct way. Martyrs is almost a work of prospective fiction that shows a dying world, almost like a pre-apocalypse. It’s a world where evil triumphed a long time ago, where consciences have died out under the reign of money and where people spend their time hurting one another. It’s a metaphor, of course, but the film describes things that are not that far from what we’re experiencing today."
The film's graphic violence resulted in its being associated with the
Production
Development
Writer-director
On pitching the project, Laugier commented that "the film was rejected by all the big French studios, by a lot of actresses, too. […] The film was really supported by Canal+, the only television channel in France that still finances some unusual projects".[11]
Casting
Mylène Jampanoï, who was cast as Lucie, was drawn to the project after being profoundly affected by the screenplay.[10] "When I chose this movie, my agent told me maybe it's not a good choice as an actress," she recalled. "You should maybe start with a comedy! But the script was amazing, really amazing. I knew this would be a film that people would either love or hate".[10] Morjana Alaoui, who was cast as Anna, was also attracted to the project after being impressed by its screenplay: "The first time I read the script, I was just like, 'Wow. I have to be a part of this.' After Pascal cast me as Anna, I started rereading it and every page I was like, 'Oh my God. How am I going to do this? I'm gonna die'".[10] In preparation for the shoot, Laugier spent two months undertaking rehearsals with Jampanoï and Alaoui.[10]
Filming
Principal photography of Martyrs took place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.[12] Laugier commented that the main difficulty other than the technical issues such as special effects was to keep the actresses in a heightened emotional state.[11] In order to facilitate this, Laugier kept the two lead actresses isolated from most of the crew.[10]
Jampanoï recalled that she found the shoot emotionally difficult: "Every night when I went back to my room, I just cried, because I was so physically and psychologically tired. All my scenes are violent."[10] Jampanoï also stated that, though she respected Laugier's working style, she found him to be "as short-tempered as me... I have a huge amount of admiration for him... but we did end up clashing".[13]
Production was temporarily halted for over a month after Alaoui fell 3 metres (9.8 ft) off a soundstage, breaking several bones in her foot.[10]
The film's special effects were designed by Benoit Lestang, who committed suicide prior to the film's French theatrical release.[14] The film features a mixture of both practical and digital special effects, some of which were completed with the use of green screen.[15]
Release
Controversy and censorship
The film screened at the Marché du Film film market in Cannes in May 2008,[1] inciting walkouts from some audience members.[16] It was subsequently shown on 19 October 2008 at Montreal's Festival du nouveau cinéma.[17] According to Laugier, a man collapsed during the film's screening at the Sitges Film Festival, and a woman vomited during the film's premiere screening in Toronto.[10]
In France, the film faced significant controversy amongst the country's film rating system, which was recorded in a
Recounting the film's rating controversy, Laugier said:
In France, when you get an 18+ rating, your film is dead. It’s like a porno. It’s like XXX. It was a way for them to censor me without asking me to cut anything. So we fought a lot and I was supported by all the unions of the French film industry. I was very surprised. It was a matter of principle. Even for people who didn’t like the movie, it was a matter of freedom of speech and expression.[24]
The Weinstein Company purchased North American distribution rights to the film following its screening at Cannes, but producer Bob Weinstein was ultimately so revulsed by the film that they chose not to release it.[16] The film never received a theatrical release in the United States and was instead released directly to DVD.[16] A heavily edited cut of the film was given an R rating by the Motion Picture Association for "disturbing/severe aberrant behavior involving strong bloody violence, torture, child abuse and some nudity."[25]
Critical reception
The film was categorized as a new example of
Todd Brown of
Critic Maitland McDonagh wrote that the film "has more than can-you-top-this shocks in mind: For all its brutality, Martyrs is conspicuously high minded, rooted in the centuries-old notion that spiritual transcendence lies just beyond the horizon of pain... You don't have to be Catholic to shudder at Pascal Laugier's Martyrs, but it helps."[6]
Anton Bitel of Britain's Film4 praised the film, saying it "eludes the 'torture porn' label precisely by questioning what those terms might mean, what appeal they might possibly have, and what questions - fundamental, even metaphysical questions – they might answer".[30] Jamie Graham of Total Film called Martyrs "one of the most extreme pictures ever made, and one of the best horror movies of the last decade".[31] He also likened it to "a torture-porn movie for Guardian readers", one that owed as much to Francis Bacon and Raphael as to its genre contemporaries. By contrast, writer and film scholar Jon Towlson says Martyrs' "political intentions are less overt, more ambivalent and ultimately nihilistic" compared to its contemporaries. "Putting the audience 'through it,'" he says, "is the film's raison d'etre".[32]
Commenting on the controversy surrounding his film to IndieLondon, director Laugier said he felt "insulted" by many critics' misinterpretations of Martyrs.[33]
Accolades
Institution | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | Best Actress | Morjana Alaoui | Won | |
Best Screenplay | Pascal Laugier | Won | ||
Best Limited-Release/Direct-to-Video Film | Martyrs | Nominated | ||
Best Supporting Actress | Mylène Jampanoï | Nominated | ||
Best Makeup/Creature FX | Benoît Lestang | Nominated | ||
Fright Meter Award | Best Screenplay | Pascal Laugier | Won | [34] |
Best Makeup | Benoît Lestang | Won | ||
Best Horror Film | Martyrs | Nominated | ||
Best Director | Pascal Laugier | Nominated | ||
Best Supporting Actress | Catherine Bégin | Nominated | ||
Jutra Awards | Best Makeup |
|
Nominated | [35] |
Méliès International Festivals Federation | Méliès d'Or | Martyrs | Won | [36] |
Scream Awards | Best Foreign Film | Nominated | [37] | |
Sitges Film Festival | Grand Prize of European Fantasy Film: Gold | Pascal Laugier | Won | [38] |
Best Makeup |
|
Won | [39] |
Home media
Wild Side Video released the film on
On 16 September 2022, the Australian distributor Umbrella Entertainment released a limited special edition region-free Blu-ray edition as part of their "Beyond Genres" series.[44]
Remake
In 2008, Laugier confirmed in an interview that he was in the middle of negotiating the rights for Martyrs to be remade in the United States by director Daniel Stamm.[45] The producer attached at the time, who had previously produced Twilight (2008), indicated that Kristen Stewart was being sought to star in the film,[46] though her involvement with the project was later denied by Stamm.[47] Stamm said "[The original film] is very nihilistic. The American approach [that I'm looking at] would go through all that darkness but then give a glimmer of hope. You don't have to shoot yourself when it's over."[47]
In a 2014 interview, Stamm revealed he had left the project after the budget had been reduced, stating, "I think they're now back to making the movie for like $1 million, really low budget, which I think you could almost do, it's just there's this philosophy in Hollywood that you can never go back budget-wise. As a filmmaker you are judged by that. And then there's also this concept I was unaware of called plateauing, where if you're a filmmaker who makes two movies in the same budget bracket, that becomes your thing. You are the guy for the $3 million movie, and then that's all you do. And so my agents wouldn't let me do the $1 million movie, because then that's it for you, you'll supposedly never get that bigger budget".[48]
In February 2015, the new production companies
When asked about the remake, Laugier responded, "I had a bad contract, I didn't even get paid for it! That's really the only thing I regret in my career: That my name is now associated with such a junk film and I didn't even get a cent for it! I tried to watch it but only got through 20 minutes. It was like watching my mother get raped! Then I stopped. Life is too short. In the American system, a movie like Martyrs is just not possible - they saw my movie and then turned it into something completely uninteresting."[51]
Legacy
Several publications have named Martyrs one of the greatest horror films of all time: In October 2017, IGN ranked it number 32 in a list of 100 films, with critic Marty Sliva writing: "Few horror movies elicit as extreme a physical reaction quite like 2008’s Martyrs... the film transforms into a bizarre religious gore-fest that draws a link between spiritual enlightenment and utterly brutal physical and emotional torture. It’s tough to keep your eyes set on the horrifying images that unfold on-screen, but for those willing to dive into its heady themes, it’s even harder to look away."[4]
In 2021, Rolling Stone also ranked it number 36 in their list of the greatest horror films made in the 21st century.[5]
Martyrs has also been referred to as one of the most disturbing films ever made, due to its subject matter.[52][53][54]
See also
- List of films featuring home invasions
- New French Extremity
References
- ^ .
- ^ Lemercier, Fabien (13 February 2007). "Martyrs: A journey into the heart of darkness". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 12 January 2013.
- ^ "Martyrs (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- ^ a b Sliva, Marty (October 2017). "100 Best Horror Movies: Martyrs". IGN. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022.
- ^ a b Bramesco, Charles (21 June 2021). "65 Greatest Horror Movies of the 21st Century". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022.
- ^ a b McDonagh, Maitland (2011). "Horror: Martyrs". Miss FlickChick. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011.
- ^ a b West 2016, p. 151.
- ^ a b Foster 2014, p. 56.
- ^ a b Sprague, Mike (3 September 2020). "This Day in Horror History: Pascal Laugier's MARTYRS Was Released in France in 2008". Dread Central. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Crocker, Jonathan (19 March 2009). "Martyrs: Dying For Your Art". Total Film. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022 – via JonathanCrocker.com.
- ^ ComingSoon.net. Archived from the originalon 25 December 2010.
- ^ Rea, Darren (17 March 2009). "Pascal Laugier (Director / Writer) - Martyrs". Review Graveyard. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012.
- ^ Desport 2009, 18:02.
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- ^ Desport 2009, 46:09–49:15.
- ^ a b c Piepenburg, Erik (24 January 2016). "In the 'Martyrs' Remake, French Punishment Is Done American Style". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022.
- ^ Montreal Gazette. p. 23. Archivedfrom the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Ambroisine, Frédéric. "Exclusive documentary: MARTYRS VS CENSORSHIP". FrédéricAmbroisine.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008.
- ^ "Two teasers for Pascal Laugier's French horror flick Martyrs". QuietEarth.us. 12 June 2008. Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2008.
- ^ "Martyrs martyrisé par la commission de classification". Première (in French). 3 June 2008. Archived from the original on 15 March 2009.
- ^ "Les moins de 18 ans pourront voir Martyrs". Première (in French). 3 July 2008. Archived from the original on 31 January 2009.
- ^ Lemercier, Fabien (2 June 2008). "Controversy over Pascal Laugier's Martyrs". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012.
- ^ ""Martyrs" : interdit aux moins de… ?". AlloCiné (in French). 2 July 2008. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022.
- ^ Mann, Michael (October 2009). "Pascal Laugier's Martyrs". Ion Magazine. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013.
- ^ "Search". www.filmratings.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ Miska, Brad (27 April 2009). "[Review] Brutal 'Martyrs' is Immensely Uncomfortable". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022.
- ^ Griffiths, Lee (18 March 2009). "Martyrs (2008) Film Review". Eye For Film. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ "Martyrs". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
- ^ Brown, Todd (3 June 2008). "Pascal Laugier's Martyrs Hit With 18+ Rating in France". Screen Anarchy. Archived from the original on 1 July 2008.
- ^ Bitel, A. "Martyrs – Review". www.channel4.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- ^ Graham, J (16 March 2009). "Martyrs – Art meets gorno". Total Film. Archived from the original on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- ^ Towlson, Jon (3 October 2011). "Shocks To The System - Subversive Horror Films: Post-9/11 Horror Films". Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ Carnevale, R. "Martyrs - Pascal Laugier interview". www.indielondon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
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- ^ Dentler, Matt (1 September 2009). "Arthouse Releases Represent at 2009 Scream Awards". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022.
- ^ Charles, Adam (12 October 2009). "Duncan Jones' MOON Lands at Sitges and Nabs 3 Awards Before Heading Back to the Stars. Plus Other Winners". Collider. Archived from the original on 1 September 2022.
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- ^ "Northlander interviews MARTYRS' Pascal Laugier - and he spills about his HELLRAISER remake!!". Ain't It Cool News. 28 December 2008. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012.
- ^ "Exclusive: 'Twilight' Producer Wants Kristen Stewart for 'Martyrs' Remake". Fearnet. 13 June 2010. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013.
- ^ a b Zeitchik, Steven (15 November 2010). "French horror hit 'Martyrs' will undergo an American exorcism". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 4 June 2012.
- ^ Hall, Peter (3 April 2014). "What Happened to the Remake of Martyrs? Director Daniel Stamm Tells Us What Could Have Been". Movies.com. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020.
- ^ Miska, Brad (3 April 2014). "'Martyrs' Remake to Be the "Ultimate Horror Movie"?". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015.
- ^ Miska, Brad (3 April 2014). "The 'Martyrs' Remake Already Has Already Been Filmed". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015.
- ^ Meyns, Michael (16 April 2018). "Unser Interview mit "Martyrs"-Kultregisseur Pascale Laugier zu "Ghostland": Ich hätte mich fast mit den Weinsteins geprügelt!". Filmstarts (in German). Archived from the original on 22 November 2022.
- ^ "The Most Disturbing Movies of All Time". Complex Networks. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "The 18 most disturbing movies of all time". The A.V. Club. 16 August 2023. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "The 10 most disturbing films of all time". 21 November 2021. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
Sources
- Desport, Matthieu, dir. (2009). Martyrs: Chroniques organiques (Documentary film). Eskwad and TCB Film.
{{cite AV media}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Foster, Gwendolyn Audrey (2014). Hoarders, Doomsday Preppers, and the Culture of Apocalypse. New York City, New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-137-46808-6.
- West, Alexandra (2016). Films of the New French Extremity: Visceral Horror and National Identity. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-1-476-62511-9.
External links
- Martyrs at IMDb
- Martyrs at AllMovie
- Martyrs at Rotten Tomatoes
- Official website