In the Company of Men is certainly not the least cruel film in the programme, but not a drop of blood is spilled. The film does not comprise any physical violence, but a real psychological war is fought with the filthiest and most devious means. Chad and Howard are both managers. Howard is a little higher in the organisation, but Chad is his superior in many ways. When they are sent off for six weeks to a branch in a boring provincial town, they decide at Chad’s initiative to play a cruel game with a woman chosen at random, to make their stay less boring and to avenge themselves on women in general. Howard has been deserted by his girlfriend and Chad makes him believe that, if he can play a mean trick on a woman, he will feel a lot better. They choose a deaf typist as their victim, one who will never be a fair match in their verbal battle. They both decide to seduce her and then to dump her. They expect she will then be ready to commit suicide. The film has another cruel turn when it turns out that the men are playing a treacherous game with each other too.The theatre background of LaBute is tangible in the clear structuring of the story and the sarcastic and very effective dialogues. Verbally and metaphorically, people hack each other to pieces, but they keep smiling, their hair remains immaculate and there isn’t a drop on their snowy white shirt. (GjZ)
