Friday, January 07, 2011

Austrian filmmaker Micahel Haneke has the directorial ability to make stories visually so gentle and subtle, with an electric current right under your seat that sucks you down and completely unable to look away from the screen, even amidst static shots and almost complete silence. And it's that almost complete silence and desire to see what could possibly happen in a single frame that grabs you. He uses gorgeous sets, brilliant actors, and out of the ordinary scripts to make the whole story come to life in a way that you are actually experiencing it. Some traliers/clips of my favorite Haneke films:

CACHE (Hidden) with Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche illumiates the life of a small Parisian family whose unity and faith is disturbed as the threat of a stalker on their home, taping the front door, begins to surface at the husbands work and home. The intensity of the surveryor increases without any direct inflictions to the families physicallity, though mentally it is a challenge to make the right moves. Definietly keeps you on the edge of your seat!
 
The Piano Teacher is the most memorable Haneke film, in my opinion. From opening to finish you will not want to leave the room. The actors are absolutely amazing and the script is quite dark. The characters goals and morality are in question throughout, though not in a disgusting or horrific way, but because the subject matter is just so obvious and raw; such deap silences with some scenes completely bursting with desparate engery. Isabella Hupperts character is a woman so starved for some kind of adult love but due to such strong sexual repression, and with her domineering mother as a roommate, she has an extreme and slightly sadistic definition of love. In some ways her character is a fifty year old woman, and at other points a 5 year old girl. The last minute and a half are worth the rental alone. Really, an excellent, beautiful movie.
Time of the Wolf is one that I have not seen yet, though I have watched several clips and read a bit about it. Highly recommended by a film major friend from college, it is quite a hard one to find, though I will keep looking and hopefully be able to write something up about it soon. If you do happen to find it and watch it please fill me in, but don't give anything away!
In case you'd like to see the man behind the lens, here's and interview for your viewing pleasure...Haneke on parenting and other topics...

Sigur Ros - Hoppipolla
 
Saeglopur
 

1 comment:

  1. Wow... Simply awesome reviews, Kel! Perhaps we have a film critic in our midst as well? You wear many hats, my dear! Great to see a nod to two of my all time favorite actresses, Isabelle Hupert and Juliette Binoche... Fabulous to see them highlighted herein... I think I first saw them both maybe twenty or more years ago! There was another French actress, Miou-Miou... Wonder if she is still in the mix...
    As always, many thanks for the terrific insight into worthy artists... You definitely have the gift for spotting them, music, film, art...a gift indeed...
    Love you more than words can say...
    La

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