The White Ribbon delivers a disturbing narrative that contemplates the human condition
By Tyler Arp, SFR intern
The White Ribbon is a stark new film written and directed by Austrian director Michael Haneke (Funny Games, Caché). Opening Friday, Feb. 19 at the CCA, it is the winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, and has been nominated for both Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography at this year’s Academy Awards.
Haneke’s directorial career, which includes 22 films over the last 36 years, has granted him a generous opportunity for experimentation through which he has notably refined the art of storytelling; lacking the traditional plot structure, the White Ribbon’s delicate narrative chronicles the events of a small town while avoiding Hollywood-style sensationalism. There is no magical event which fixes the world and provides closure, emotionally or otherwise.
In this new film, Haneke has created a subtle composition which de-emphasizes virtually every convention of mainstream film-making: The film is presented in black and white; the characters are not beautiful people; the story is slow and subtle; the film mirrors reality rather than providing a fantastical escape for the audience. The result is an effective piece that is at once emotionally vibrant, shockingly real, and tragically nihilist.
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