But the play's compassion and mordant comedy make for compelling viewing.

A mordant social comedy about the collision of two families of vastly different classes and values, the ironically titled "River" became the most-seen and most-discussed French film of its year.

But beneath their mordant dark comedy, Ms. Jolley's books explored deep, haunting themes of alienation, marginalization and unrequited longing.

June 6 12:08 East of Bucharest From Romania, the country that gave us "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu," another mordant comedy.

By turns, "The Root" attempts to be a real thriller, a mordant comedy and a statement of social significance.

(1973) is a mordant absurdist comedy loosely based on the themes of Alice in Wonderland and Henry James.

The first is a mordant comedy about a terminally ill mother and her son's embattled marriage; the second is about a paraplegic's violent streak.

His "Museum of Love" is a sly, mordant comedy about a broken-hearted actor named Charlie (Paul Mercurio).

Similarly, the mordant political comedies of Aristophanes devolved into the pleasantly amusing situational comedies called "New Comedy."

"The Houseguest" fits neatly into the style of mordant comedy displayed in Mr. Berger's earlier novel "Neighbors."