02/14/2026 Mort's Forren Film Report: Week 2

Welcome back to the second week of Mort's Foreign Film Report! In case you missed any of the social media posts, check them out below!

Day 8

CURE (1997)

Country: Japan

Language: Japanese

Genre: Crime, Mystery

Random people are killing other random people, with absolutely no motivation. The killers struggle to remember why they did it, and none of them can remember the man with the lighter. But there is one think that links the killings – an “X” carved somewhere.

The detective investigating the murders finally gets a suspect, but he is less than cooperative, and it suddenly becomes clear to the viewer that the man in custody is trying to get into the head of the detective.

There are many things I love about this film, especially the fact that the director didn’t underestimate the audience and leave them to figure some things out for themselves. And then there is the ending – what did it mean to you, because the interpretation will depend on what conclusions you drew throughout the story.

Not the scariest movie you’ll ever see, but deceptively clever and well executed.

10/10

Day 9

FUNNY GAMES (1997)

Country: Austria

Languages: German, French

Genre: Psychological Thriller

You get movies that makes you feel uncomfortable and you get movies that can destroy any hope you have left for humanity.

A mother, father and son gets taken hostage at their vacation home by two young men, who forces them to play sadistic games.

Although there is an American remake, I haven’t seen it, but I can tell you something that I’m not sure any other film has captured as well, before or since:

The devastating power of a still shot where there is no movement or sound for what feels like a very long time.

While nearly all the violence happens off screen, this movie feels more chilling than most slashers. And there is a scene (the remote) where the director will pull the rug out from under you like a metaphorical middle finger.

You will not feel good after watching this, but it is a Masterpiece of cinema:

10/10

Day 10

BATTLE ROYALE (2000)

Country: Japan

Language: Japanese

Genre: Thriller, Action

THE HUNGER GAMES were good movies. But have you ever wondered where the original idea came from?

BATTLE ROYALE is that story on steroids, without trying to draw the most possible people to it. The basic premise is that kids have become uncontrollable, so the government created this yearly game where 9^th graders (not consenting, mind you) are taken to an island and forced to kill each other until there is only one survivor. And of course there is a time limit.

More gritty and realistic, and perhaps a partial inspiration for the later SQUID GAME series, this movie peels back the layers of humanity and invites the animalistic survival instinct to kick in. And it asks the most basic of questions – is it possible to do the right thing when the odds are against you and the results are fatal?

I liked this movie more than I thought I would, in all honesty. If you are a fan of sequels, this movie has at least one that I know about (but haven’t seen).

Personally, I think this idea was very original and well executed, so I see no reason not to give it:

10/10

Day 11

ICHI, THE KILLER (2001)

Country: Japan

Languages: Japanese, English, Cantonese

Genre: Splatter Thriller, Dark Comedy, Action

First off, no, you are wrong, the guy on the poster is not Ichi. He is a sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer, and he’s about to cross paths with Ichi, who is a very messed up young guy. And there is a lot of blood, gore and carnage along the way.

It is very difficult to put this movie in any specific genre. There is a psychological drama aspect to this story, and in the end you may feel more empathy for Ichi than the other characters, but then the shifts goes to a brutal torture scene, and then there is something hilariously dark, and then there is action, and in the end there is room for interpretation regarding the ending as well.

For my personal taste, this shouldn’t work at all, yet there is something profoundly enjoyable about the chaos. For those who are not familiar with the manga type of violence, it may seem somewhat over the top – think of the cartoon part of Quantin Tarantino’s KILL BILL where the girl kills the men and the blood geysers all over, and you might get a rough idea.

As someone who prefers order over chaos, and logical over abstract, most of the time, it baffles me why I enjoyed this movie so much. Especially the ending, which I think will be the topic of many an argument from different perspectives.

8/10

Day 12

GOODNIGHT MOMMY (2014)

Country: Austria

Language: German

Genre: Psychological Horror

This starts out as quiet horror shrouded in mystery.

There was an accident, but nothing is shown and no details are given. A pair of twins are home with their mother, her face partially hidden behind an accident mask. She is acting very differently to the mother they know, and they finally reach the conclusion that she must be an imposter. But how do they get her to tell the truth?

I know there is an American remake (which I haven’t seen), but I’m not sure the atmosphere could have been portrayed any better. Even when there is nothing scary happening, there is a feeling that things are off.

And the twist in this one caught me – completely and utterly didn’t see it coming. I loved that!

I haven’t seen many reviews of this film, and it is a pity, because I think it is absolutely brilliant and would recommend it to anyone who loves the twist in movies.

10/10

Day 13

MARTYRS (2008)

Countries: France, Canada

Language: French

Genre: Psychological Horror

When you look at lists with the most extreme movies ever made, this one will pop up in most of them. However, it is not just the violence (and there is a fair amount of it), but the story goes to places rarely seen in film.

Two young women who were both abused as children become friends, and one of them believes she’d tracked down some of the people responsible. After murdering a family, she calls her friend and asks for help, but is this just a damaged woman projecting her pain?

And then things go in a direction you will not expect, and a lot of shit happens, but this is not a movie of hope and revenge. It is bleak, it is dark and it is claustrophobically hopeless.

But it is also brilliant.

If you can handle this, it is a Masterpiece.

10/10

Day 14

THE COFFEE TABLE (2022)

Country: Spain

Language: Spanish

Genre: Dark Comedy, Horror

Let’s start off by saying that you haven’t seen any horror movie quite like this one. It doesn’t scare you, it just makes you feel more and more nervous and uncomfortable. Throw in some very dark humor and you’ve got a movie that might not seem like something you’d enjoy, but it is something you won’t forget.

And yes, not a fan of the title of the movie, yet it works somehow if you’ve seen the film.

A married couple with a strained relationship have just become parents, and the movie starts of where the man buys a coffee table (rather insistently) that his wife is not a fan of. But that decision will alter their lives forever.

I enjoyed the darkness and humor combination, and still think this is a very unique movie for my taste, but I highly recommend it.

9/10