The movie Funny Games appears to be about two psychopaths who take a family hostage and force them to play deadly games. But when the family's mom gets the upper hand, something shockingly illogical happens. Check it out! Spoilers below...
Yes, the movie suddenly turns into a remake of Click, with Adam Sandler.
You should know that Funny Games (both the original Austrian and U.S. versions) features a certain amount of "breaking the fourth wall," in which Paul, the leader of the two psychopaths, turns to the camera and addresses the audience. But then towards the end of the film, when Ann, the mom, gets hold of the shotgun and shoots the other psychopath Peter, it turns out that Paul's remote control can actually rewind the scene to before this happens — and change events.
People defend this twist as an extension of Paul's ability to break the fourth wall, or as a deconstruction of the format of horror movies, or as a sign that Paul's triumph over the family is inevitable because it's part of the storyline that the movie has set in motion. But that doesn't change the fact that the "remote control" moment comes out of nowhere and goes back there. Or as one commenter on YouTube put it, "WHY THE FK DID IT REWIND LIKE THAT THATS SO STUPID."
Update: I should add that I do get the point that Haneke is making here, about the audience being complicit in violence, and the remote control being symbolic of the audience's choice to watch violent, upsetting fare. And I get that it pulls the rug out from under the standard revenge fantasy that happens in these films. That said, I still can't help viewing this moment through the lens of science fiction and fantasy, through which it looks like a science-fictional plot device that's suddenly inserted into the story. Thanks to everyone who's commented — it's definitely given me a lot to think about.