Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- sardonic
- claustrophobic
- uncomfortable
- adult movie night
- dark comedy night
What critics said
Critics generally found the adaptation sharply acted and darkly entertaining, while noting that its theatrical dialogue and contained premise can feel limited.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The parents' ostensibly civilized meeting deteriorates through insults, recriminations, and increasingly hostile behavior.
All four adults present themselves as responsible parents while revealing prejudice, vanity, and uncontrolled aggression.
The film centers on an extended face-to-face meeting among four adults rather than expansive action or location changes.
The Brooklyn parents' negotiations expose class-coded etiquette, parental competition, and social performance.
Films like Carnage, and why
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
claustrophobic black comedy about civilized adults unraveling into hypocrisy and verbal aggression during a contained confrontation
The Exterminating Angel
contained ensemble satire exposing social manners, marital conflict, and escalating psychological cruelty in an urban setting
The Celebration
darkly comic chamber drama driven by escalating insults, adult dysfunction, and a single social encounter gone awry
Movie Details
- Director
- Roman Polanski
- Release Date
- 2011-09-16
- Runtime
- 80 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (3229)
Cast
- Jodie Foster
- Kate Winslet
- Christoph Waltz
- John C. Reilly
- Elvis Polanski
- Eliot Berger
- Joseph Rezwin
- Nathan Rippy
- Tanya Lopert
- Julie Adams
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Carnage about?
- Four Brooklyn parents convene to resolve a schoolyard assault, only to expose the hostility and hypocrisy beneath their polished manners.
- What is Carnage like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Carnage as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Carnage violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Carnage as mild.
- What did critics think of Carnage?
- Critics generally found the adaptation sharply acted and darkly entertaining, while noting that its theatrical dialogue and contained premise can feel limited.
- Which films are like Carnage?
- Films with a similar feel include Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Exterminating Angel, and The Celebration.
- How long is Carnage?
- Carnage runs 80 minutes.
- Where can I watch Carnage?
- In United States, Carnage is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
