Each of the lives of the people who encounter the carnage of the bull are examined in the film. But the coincidence of the crossings is more than a trivial anecdote because each of the people who are touched by the bull's remains are suddenly faced with some kind of serious consequence in their lives.

The film, directed by Delphine Gleize, is fascinating, complex and somewhat audacious even when it doesn't work. The characters, all of whose stories are interrelated because of the bull, involve a mother (Angela Molina) and daughter (Lucia Sanchez) in Spain, a nervous man (Jacques Gamblin) whose wife is enormously pregnant and a taxidermist (Bernard Sens) - who lives with his mother in a trailer - an astute little girl (Raphaelle Molinier) whose parents have an unwitting run in with woman actress (Chiara Mastroianni) who in turn is accosted by a suicidal man (Clovis Cornillac).

As you can see it's the kind of film you either need to take notes while watching or just wait until the end and hope it all somehow comes together. Thankfully, director Gleize – who makes her directorial debut – handles the material with the skill of a seasoned director.

Carnage may seem to have an anti-bullfighting message but that is far too facile. Instead the film is an attempt – via magic realism – to tell a story about communication and / or the lack of communication between various people who also happen to all be affected by the bull's remains.

If you stay engaged the film is quite good but part of the problem is waiting for all of the seemingly loose threads to join together and make sense. If you are patient then it is worth the wait – although to be honest there are no big secrets or epiphanies revealed. If you are not patient and don't like loose ended eccentric storytelling then this may not be for you. Still, it's fairly original.

Video:
The DVD is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is 16 x 9 compatible and looks excellent. The film has a sharp colorful look and mixes many indoor and outdoor scenes. The DVD transfer is excellent and has very little detectable artifact. The subtitles can be removed.

Audio:
The audio is presented in Digital Dolby 5.1 French and Spanish and sounds great. It has a good soundtrack also.

Extras:
There are two short films by the filmmaker. One is Dirtie Bastardz, which is a 23 minute film (shot in 2.35:1) about two kids and a mentally handicapped brother in a dysfunctional family. The other short is a 26 minute short titled A Castle in Spain (shot in 1.66:1) about two days in the life of a young woman who comes to visit her elderly grandmother. Both films prove that Delphine Gleize is not only a good director but one who likes to deal with open-ended stories which are rewarding for their character studies and their style. There is also a whole bunch of Wellspring trailers along with filmographies.

Final Thoughts:
Carnage is an ambitious French film that stays on the high wire as long as you are willing to leave it there. Some may call it pretentious and while it is showy it also has a message about communication or lack of communication between people. The DVD looks and sounds terrific and the modest extras are entertaining.