MARTYRS

Year: 2008
USA: The Weinstein Company
UK: Optimum Releasing
Cast: Mylene Jampanoï, Morjana Alaoui, Catherine Begin, Robert Toupin, Patricia Tulasne Juliette Gosselin Xavier Dolan-Tadros, Isabelle Chasse Emilie Miskdjian, Mike Chute, Gaëlle Cohen, Louis Thevenon, Anie Pascale, Jessie Pham, Erika Scott, Herve Desbois
Director: Pascal Laugier
Country: France
Language: French (English subtitles)
USA & UK: 100 mins
USA Rated: R for disturbing/severe aberrant behavior involving strong bloody violence, torture, child abuse and some nudity
UK Certificate: 18 contains sustained strong bloody violence and horror
USA DVD Release Date: 28 April 2009
UK Release Date: 27 March 2009 (Limited Release - London, ICA)

ICA

Synopsis

In MARTYRS, Lucie (Mylene Jampanoï) now a young woman, returns to the family she believes held her captive and tortured her as a child. She sets out to exact her revenge and in so doing discovers the reality of the world beyond and uncovers the reason for those past crimes, which becomes chillingly clear.

Constantly switching direction as it heads into deeper, darker territory, Laugier's horror film combines intense terror tactics with a perverse poetry to create a truly unsettling experience. Love it or hate it, this French hardcore horror was one of the most controversial films in 2008 at London's FrightFest and the Toronto Film Festival.