God of Carnage

Two eleven-year-old boys have fought on the school playground: one struck with a stick, the other nearly lost two front teeth. The parents meet over coffee and cake to discuss, as civilized people, how to proceed in the right pedagogical manner. But when the two opposing couples meet, more primal impulses soon break through, and provocative questions fly around the room: Which boy was really to blame? Doesn't aggressive behavior in a child point to marital problems of the parents? What is worse - ruined art books, the nightly abandonment of a family hamster, or loud phone calls in defense of a health-hazardous drug?

Jabs turn into verbal sparring, scuffles escalate into a living room battle. The art of civilized interaction culminates in a wild outburst - in the end, neither marriage remains intact, and only one emerges victorious: the god of carnage.

With this comedy, French author Yasmina Reza exposes in brilliant dialogue just how thin the veneer of civilization really is.