Quote:
Originally Posted by ChronoGrl
Well questions for you: What is your definition of "martyr," how does it differ from that of the film, and why does it destroy the plotline for you?
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A martyr is someone who dies for a cause they believe in, typically a religious cause, but not necessarily so. Which is the same definition the movie uses in regards to the martyrs referenced throughout history, but has absolutely no bearing on the girls.
The girls in the movie were not martyrs. They were victims. They did not believe in what they were being killed for. They did not want to see the edge of other side to gain knowledge and insight beyond the normal human experience. They simply wanted to die. They wanted the incessant physical and mental torture to end. The only way the plotline would have actually worked would have been for the members of the secret society to be the ones undergoing the torture and subsequent death. But then who would care? Torture porn works only if the person being tortured is unwilling. They have to be a victim in order to increase the tension as well as give the viewer some reason to actually sympathize with what's going on, making the torture that much more disturbing and visceral.
To me, Martyrs is a very powerful, disturbing film that had so much potential, but ultimately fell flat due to a lack of forethought by the writers.