Martyrs (2008)

You asked for it (well, at least one of you did), and so we are finally covering the listeners' choice that was selected from our 2019 Listener Survey! That's right, we're discussing Pascal Laugier's controversial 2008 film Martyrs (aka the most anti-spoiler film ever made)! Big thanks to listener Brian Conmy for helping us pull the trigger on covering this masterful and deeply upsetting film.

Major trigger warnings for anyone who has never seen Martyrs, because this film is one of the most disturbing films ever made. That's not hyperbole! 

Join us as we discuss what might be the most extreme example of white privilege ever put on screen (seriously, these people are so rich that they seemingly have all the time in the world to torture young women just so they can find out what happens after we die) and assign a few different readings to the film, including a very positive queer reading that might turn a few people around on it.

We'll also try to answer questions that have followed the film since its 2008 release, including but not limited to: Is it torture porn? Is it misogynistic? Does it have a purpose? Why would someone make this endurance test of a film?

Oh! And as an added bonus, both of us secretly watched the 2015 American remake without telling the other one, so we spend a little bit of time comparing the two films (hint: the original is better).

Lastly, here are all of the articles we reference in the episode:

• The New Extremism in Cinema: From France to Europe (eds: Tanya Horeck & Tina Kendall)
• Films of the New French Extremity: Visceral Horror and National Identity by Alex West
• Martyrs: Evoking France’s Cinematic and Historical Past by Daniel Totaro
• Martyrs by Scott Tobias
• The Philosophy of ‘Martyrs’: Transcendence in Torture by Andrew Couzens
• Keep Doubting: Why Martyrs is One of Horror's Most Biting Critiques on Systems of Violence and Oppression by Angi
• Martyrs (2008): Movie Plot Ending Explained at ThisBarry.com

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> Trace: @tracedthurman

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

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