I'll start the review by saying right away that this is one of my favourite horror movies. It's the only movie I own on Blu-ray even though I don't even have a Blu-ray player. I will one day and had to buy this one when I saw it as a bargain. It's not too often a movie comes along that stays with you for a long time afterwards and prompts some deep thought. This is definately true of Martyrs. I know a lot of people who refuse to watch a foreign language film, which is such a shame as so many people will miss out on so many fantastic films, this being french is one of them. So, to the movie itself.
One thing I will say to start with is the less you know about this movie, the better. Director, Pascal Laugier even states this in a DVD introduction. He prefers viewers to see it as "Virgins". Having watched this movie quite a few times, I can understand why. Having a absolutely terrible memory means I can enjoy different aspects of this movie each time I watch it as I never remember absolutely everything. Martyrs isn't a simple, easy watch. It's a very thought provoking, moving and clever movie, that prompts questions that don't necessarily even have answers. Writing a review of a movie when you're trying to give absolutely nothing away is somewhat difficult, so I would say if you haven't seen this movie, stop here! Go rectify the situation!
We start the movie watching a young bleeding and dirty girl escaping from what looks like a large isolated warehouse. She is clearly distraught and badly wounded. We cut from her running and screaming to camcorder footage of her in an orphanage. It is clear the emotional, psychological and developmental damage she has suffered is severe. We learn she is called Lucie and she has undergone years of severe emotional and physical abuse, locked in a room and chained to a chair 24/7. It becomes clear had she not escaped, she would have died at the hand of her abusers. While at the orphanage she forms a bond with a kind young girl called Anna, who is also staying there. Lucie suffers from frightening hallucinations of a very damaged young woman, who seems to be there to torment her. She chases her, inflicts injuries on her and seems to want to kill her. We learn this is her guilt manifested as a person. She left another person behind when she escaped. Any injuries she receives which she perceives to be at the hand of her tormentor is actually at her own hand.
We skip forward 15 years and find Lucie has managed to track down her abusers. She is intent on seeking revenge for what has been done to her. The violence that follows is very deliberate and brutal, almost assaulting the senses of the viewer. We have no build-up to prepare us for the carnage as a family of 4 are blown away at point blank range with a shotgun. After carrying out these executions, Lucie calls Anna and asks her to come and help her get rid of the bodies. Ever dutiful, Anna comes to her aid. It may seem like I have told you a lot about the storyline of the movie, but this is where the movie starts. The actual subject matter of the movie has yet to be discovered.
After Anna arrives, we see how damaged Lucie actually is. The young mother she has shot has not actually died and when Anna tries to help her, Lucie bludgeons the young woman to death. Anna realises there is no way back for Lucie, yet never leaves her and constantly tries to help. We see Lucies tormentor appear again and inflict physical wounds upon her. We also realise she is inflicting the injuries upon herself when we view the scene from Annas point of view.
This is as much as I'm willing to give away. What follows is very disturbing, upsetting and definately not for everyone. Martyrs cannot be described as 'enjoyable', but for those who can cope with the storyline, it is incredibly thought provoking and brave. Some movies out there (the best kind of movies) have a scene that stands out and will be the ever present image that comes to mind when the movie is mentioned. This movie most definately has that scene. One that takes your breath away and evokes many different emotions. The questions asked and direction the movie takes is not one I think I have ever seen in a movie before. We have no idea how it is going to end and whether or not we will get the answer to the most important question asked.
The movie ends with a question hung in the air. This is very deliberate and allows the viewer to interpret the answer as they wish. I have read many different interpretations online and quite a bit of frustration is out there due to the fact the ending isn't all tied up with a neat little bow. There is even suggestion that the director got fed up and just said "Fuck it" ending the movie without a resolution. Ridiculous! Some people obviously just didn't get what was intended. I personally love the opportunity to ask questions and to hear other peoples interpretations.
It is no surprise that this movie is highly recommended by me.
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