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Year: 2000
Runtime: 100 min
Language: English
Director: Nagisa Ôshima
In 1970s America, social norms are shattered when Kevin's friends discover his taboo love affair with a man of another race. The revelation sparks both outrage and introspection, forcing them to confront their own biases and prejudices in this powerful drama about identity, acceptance, and the struggle for equality.
Warning: spoilers below!
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Six friends—Christian, Elizabeth, Piper, Kate, Adam, and Benjamin—engage in a provocative game that involves answering personal “yes” or “no” questions anonymously. After shuffling the cards, each question is read aloud and answered by another participant, diving into sensitive topics like incest and sexual preferences. Notable questions from the game include “Would you sleep with a relative?” and “Would you have sex with a minor?”
Fast forward to a year later, the group reconvenes at the newly acquired mansion of Christian and Elizabeth for a celebration that marks the New Year. What starts as a pleasant evening takes a turn when the power goes out and a mysterious package arrives containing six cards with disturbing words: “prostitute, infidel, homosexual, rapist, and hypocrite.” These terms are shockingly reminiscent of the sensitive questions they discussed in their past escapade.
In a bid to comfort the gathering, Elizabeth decides to fetch more wine, but Adam, whose question had been about a minor, confronts her in the cellar, accusing her of orchestrating the sinister delivery. Amidst the chaos, Elizabeth dashes upstairs claiming she’s been assaulted by Adam. When Christian and Elizabeth return to the cellar, they make a horrifying discovery: Adam lies gravely injured with a knife buried in his stomach, labeled with the word “rapist.”
As the couple rejoins the remaining friends downstairs, Piper, inebriated, brings up a scandal from Christian’s father’s past. The tension escalates when she probes into Benjamin’s sexuality, only for him to confess that he is dating Kate to hide his true identity from his family for the sake of inheritance. Shortly thereafter, while Elizabeth seeks a private conversation with Christian, they stumble upon Benjamin’s lifeless body in the bathtub, electrocuted with the “homosexual” card hauntingly placed beside him.
The evening spirals further into madness when Kate confronts Elizabeth with a shotgun, accusing her and Christian of the murders. In her frantic search for Christian, Elizabeth finds Piper’s lifeless form, strangled with a dog collar and labeled “infidel.” As the sinister game unfolds, Kate forces Elizabeth into submission and attempts to guide her to Christian through a tense “hot” and “cold” game. However, the twist comes when Christian shoots Kate in a shocking display of betrayal, alongside disposing of the other bodies in the living room.
In a poignant confrontation, Christian coerces Elizabeth into admitting her responsibility for the game that exposed the group’s vulnerabilities. He chillingly reveals his identity as the killer, insisting that his actions were protective measures against the group’s discovery of her manipulations. Just as it seems the madness has reached its peak, Christian reveals that the group’s deaths were fabricated, orchestrated to force Elizabeth into a confession. Filled with panic, she bolts, with Christian in pursuit.
In an unforeseen turn, Kate unearths the revelation on Elizabeth’s card from a year prior, where she confessed to having sexual desires towards a relative. With little time to react, she finds herself trapped. Later, in a desperate attempt at seduction, Elizabeth tries to win Christian over while unveiling her true identity as his sister from their father’s secret affair. With their newfound bond, an eerie plan emerges—Christian resolves to eliminate everyone left in the house to protect their shocking revelation.
One by one, the friends fall victim to Christian’s wrath: Benjamin is shot, Adam is executed, Piper is bludgeoned, and Kate meets a gruesome end. As the murder spree concludes, Elizabeth demands her share of their father’s wealth, resulting in a chilling negotiation over dinner. Just when the conversation reaches its climax, Christian unveils his ultimate betrayal by poisoning the wine, leading to a haunting conclusion when both siblings share a toast that answers Elizabeth’s final question about their dark fate, leaving them tethered to the twisted motto of their family: “virtue, family, and justice.”
Last Updated: November 08, 2024 at 00:25
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