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Funny Games (1997, 2007)

Funny Games revolves around two young men who take over a family's lakeside holiday home and demand their hostages participate in a series of violent acts. Michael Haneke wrote and directed the 1997 Austrian version as well as the shot-for-shot 2007 American remake starring Naomi Watts and Tim Roth as the familial leads. Like the original, Haneke's remake exposes our fascination with the media's depiction of violence — the "our" specifically referring to the middle class who remain rooted in their comfortable existence oblivious to the suffering of others.

Peele clearly has several nods to this premise in his home invasion scenes where the doppelgängers make a game of their untethering such as insisting Zora run while Umbrae gives chase. However, the thematic similarities are what's most striking in that Peele's film also seeks to demonstrate how our indifference to affluence and good fortune can alienate the poor and marginalized who struggle to rise above their station.

You can watch the 2007 American remake of Funny Games on Google Play.