Domestic

This short film reminds me very much of WAR OF THE ROSES--a dark comedy that really turned me off because the level of anger and violence between the couple crossed over the line from funny to disturbing. Some ideas CAN be very funny if handled correctly, but spousal abuse is one you must treat with a deft hand--otherwise, instead of being funny it's just disturbing and repellent.

In DOMESTIC, a small argument between a man and woman quickly escalates to a kung fu movie style brawl and it had me laughing. However, the initially comedic-style violence became increasingly brutal and cruel and the film just lost me. Seeing them not just swing brooms like Jackie Chan, but actually savagely beating each other and drawing blood is just comedic poison--sort of like making fun or cancer or handicapped children.

The film does show some competence and the fights are well choreographed. However, I have no desire to see this again and am worried about the impact this will have on the audience. If members of the audience have a past history of being abused, they might very well have flashbacks and find the whole film a traumatic ordeal. And, if they find this all to be funny, then I really worry about them even more! Well made but nasty.