Benny's Video (1992)
Michael Haneke has a pretty good track record in providing absolute misery. It is weird to be drawn to that kind of filmmaking but he is really good at it. This film is like a precursor to Funny Games. Might even go as an “origin story” in some parallel universe because it uses some of the same actors. Unlike in that, here the misery is mostly limited to a few scenes - including a cold and unpleasant murder. The coldness stays throughout the film where everyone is just acting extremely closed up and unemotional (with a single effective exception), making the cruel murder even more unpleasant when the aftereffects are handled with a distanced professionalism.
There are plenty of movies depicting coldblooded killers, but not many showing a teenager killing another teenager in a totally meaningless manner and then seeing his parents being cold and methodical in assisting getting this little “accident” swept under the rug.
Not quite as effective as Funny Games, but a different experience because it doesn’t overly dwell in the misery from start to finish. Most of the film is just very mundane every day life, which is put into perspective with what is not being spoken about.
Rating: 4