Ah Michael Haneke, we meet again. This time around, Haneke delivers a film about a Parisian family whose quiet and rather mundane existance is disturbed by the arrival of videotapes of their home, as well as some menacing drawings, all of them sent by an anonymous sender for seemingly unkniwn reasons. There are some
theories as to who is sending them, and why, but the answers aren't really the focus. The film is mainly interested in examinging guilt and paranoia, and the effects they can have, whether they are really justified or not. It's a very interesting concept, and the film gives some pretty good food for thought. It has a heavy Twilight Zone vibe to it, as well as some similar stuff that was used previously in David Lynch's Lost Highway. I guess you could call this a thriller, but not really a whole lot happens, and yet, the film is still somehow very creepy and unsettling, like the bulk of Haneke's work. Also like them, this employs his trademark use of no soundtrack, lengthy static shots and long takes, usually with a point, instead of just being hollow displays of flashiness. I did like this movie, but I'm torn between the rating I've given it and a half star more. On one hand, the film is intriguing and thought provoking, and I like the style and techniques at hand, on the other, the film is rather maddening in that it's not for all tastes, and will drive some people nuts because of it's deliberate pace and open-ended nature. Some might like how it ends, others will hate it. I'm not sure what I think of it yet. If you want to see something that is oozing with artistic craft, and makes the oridnary eeire, and also makes you work instead of just spoon feeding you everything, then give this one a go. If not, then find something else to watch.
March 7, 2011
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