Review:
For the majority of the films reviewed on this blog, I've tended to shy away from older features or films that there is little to say about (
Vantage Point would be a solid example of the later point), so this week's entry (as it appears I am only able to update this on weekly basis so far) will go against the mold. Mind you this is still only a film review (music shall be next); however, the review for this film will make for a nice companion piece to the my last review. Also this film will be in two parts: review and discussion.
Now, the reasoning behind this thought process does not simply begin and end with the fact that both films share the same director, Michael Haneke, nor at the odd camera work presented in both films. The reason this review is placed as a companion to the last is because of the emotional response felt by the viewers at the rather stark imagery presented before them. Of course, one could say that because both share a similar director themes and emotions seem to carry over with each feature; however, one could simply point to the vast and diverse works of directors like Spielberg or even the small one's of people like Gus Van Saint, to see that directors constantly reinvent themselves. With this out of the way, let us move on to the review.
The plot of the film is difficult to describe; however, to describe it I shall try. We begin the film in a simple household, with a seemingly ordinary family. The characters (Georg, Anna, Eva) all live rather ordinary lives without much occurrence...at least it appears that way at first glance. With every exchange, glance, or simple visit we see that the characters of the film oddly out of place in the world. Basically the film follows the lives of these individuals, and without giving away the end (something difficult to do in this review) for several years and takes careful notation of mainly what many would consider rather mundane tasks. However, it should be noted that the last thirty minutes of the film are terrifying and unnerving, but not in the way many (including myself) are accustomed to in film (ex: the brutal attack on a hero by the monster or the evil force succeeding at the end of a film).
The camera work in the film is odd, as it focuses mainly on the objects that the characters interact with. In fact, the audience sees very little of the family; however, in the few scenes we do see with them fully in frame..we are astonished by not only the character's beautiful display of emotional range, but also by the entirety of the environment, which is (for most of the film) only a house. Like his other works, Haneke seems to choose one scene that will stick out in the mind's of his viewers...one that is usually repulsive, terrifying....and yet very human.
The performances are all breathtaking and soul wrenching; however, of all the performances, Birgit Doll, as the mother Anna, demonstrates a sense of humanity not often seen in film. What makes it all the more amazing is how just these three actors are able to carry the film for its entire running-time, without the audience losing interest. This is because we can connect to these characters (maybe not the end) because they do not live extraordinary lives like Wolverine, Indiana Jones, or Luke Sky Walker, but normal lives like you and I.
To conclude.....I admit that in writing this review I have failed in part because it is rather incomplete. By simply judging the technical aspects of the film and not discussing the thematic reasoning and meaning behind much of the film's perplexities, I have left out everything that would make this review whole and why, since viewing the film this past Friday, it has become a far better film. One must understand that many aspects of the film (technical, thematic, plot) are difficult to talk about on an individual basis as they all tie so closely together. Overall it was fantastic, yet unsettling. (stop here and skip to bottom for grade if you do not want the film spoiled)
Discussion:
So...I couldn't just sit there with a half complete review....so here is the second part of it: the discussion of the film. Mind you, this will be rather heavy on spoilers, as this is more of an aid to understanding the film (more for myself than anyone else...as putting it in writing will greatly aid).
It should be noted that the great bulk of this discussion will center around the final forty minutes of the film and what it means in the context of the film. However, before getting there, let us briefly sum up the plot to add points of reference in the discussion
As stated in the review, the film centers around this family that feels rather uncomfortable in modern society. None of the characters seem to enjoy the lives they live, but what they do enjoy is the life they share with one another. Also, as stated the film records mainly mundane details of each person's life and for good reason. It is in these little, yet precise details that we see the foreshadowing of things to come at the film's closing minutes. As routines are forgotten, people forget to feed the fish, dishes are left dirty, silence tends to fill the room...and we realize that this is leading to a rather dismal finish. In the final third of the film, the characters explain to relatives they are "planning"a trip to Australia (i.e. the
The Seventh Continent), but in reality are only planning to destroy themselves.What we are forced to witness for the following forty minutes is the family systematically destroy everything they own (and I mean every little thing) and, at the end, themselves.
Now one may ask what the purpose of this relentless destruction is and to that I point towards the cinematography throughout the film. Because we never see the characters truly interact with the world, we only know these characters through their objects. We know what they want, love, do, and how they live through these objects (Georg is a professional because he has a lot of files, are fairly well-off with their money, and eat pretty well. The characters are not destroying these objects for themselves, but for the audience.
In destroying the objects, the characters are killing themselves in the eyes of the audience, which explains for the pain felt by the audience as Eva (the daughter) tears up her pictures or Anna (the mother) breaks her records. By the time the family extinguishes their own life, we are already left empty and hollow by the prior scenes that any more is simply there to complete the story. This is not to say that the final shot of Georg or the "family photo" like image of them laying together is any less disturbing for the viewer, but this helps explain just why the destruction is so thorough in the previous scenes.
So there is the complete review of this fantastic film. It will haunt you and leave hollow, but this only goes to show that even in his first feature, Michael Haneke is a modern master in cinema.
Grade: A
