The White Ribbon

Viewer Rating:Ernie has rated The White Ribbon rating: 2 Star

Ever wanted to see a film so joyless and harrowing that an ending involving a declaration of international war comes as welcome almost comic, relief? Well yes, St. Trinian's 2, but there's also this, the latest offering from the master of unremitting misery, Michael Haneke. If you remember Cache, or Hidden, from a couple of years back, (you know, the one where the guy walks into the room and nonchalantly cuts his own throat), then you've some idea of the long and angsty road ahead of you with this outing. The series of horrific crimes (child abduction, molestation, torture, etc.), which beset the pre-war German village go unresolved but by the end you just don't care. Haneke's explorations of human murkiness are beautifully shot and flawlessly performed by an excellent cast but they don't save the film from the basic emptiness at its heart. The crescendo of tragedy with their overtones of religious mania and class warfare are certainly meant to betoken the horrors of the Great War to come but to be honest but the end of it you'll be so exhausted and disturbed that you'll wonder if it was worth the trip. Special mention should go to Ulrich Tukur (excellent in Soderbergh's Solaris in 2001) and also Christian Friedel and Leonie Benesch as the innocent couple caught up in the nastiness. If Haneke had spent more time in their company the film would have had much more of a complex emotional core. Trust me, see The White Ribbon and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (the original and best), will have you cheering.

Review published on the 22 January 2010 12:51