Sin #11: Unknown

There’s an accident at the beginning of “Das Weisse Band” (“The White Ribbon”) but no suspects. As we’re slowly introduced to the villagers we feel an ominous and oppressive force concealed in the background as true evil lurks somewhere beyond our reach. There are more strange accidents and still no clue about their purpose. We wonder.

Somebody has been sending tapes to a family at the beginning of “Cache” (“Hidden”). There’s nothing special about them except that they send a clear message, the family is being watched. They don’t have a clue except for the husband who may have an idea, o maybe he doesn’t. We wonder.

Both films were directed by Michael Haneke, who has a talent to portray undiscovered mysteries and dark secrets (with variable degrees of success). “Das Weisse Band” won the coveted Palm D’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival (its highest honor) in a year that also had high profile movies like Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” (Tarantino won the Palm D’Or in 1994 for “Pulp Fiction”) and Lars Von Trier’s “Antichrist” (Von Trier won it in 2000 for “Dancer in the Dark”). The problem with “The White Ribbon” is that it’s just too darn slow and self congratulatory to involve us much. The audience grows restless as the movie introduces and develops too many characters and leaves the mystery hanging awkwardly in the air. And in true Haneke fashion, his ending offers no resolution whatsoever.

I, however, had a different reaction with “Cache”. Yes, it’s slow and equally foreboding but it stays focused and remains intriguing all the way to its provocative and rather disturbing last frame. “Cache” is frustrating viewing but it has an undeniable power; you simply cannot forget about it. As I try to piece it together after several viewings I still find myself trying to shake from the experience. It somehow grafted into my subconscious.

I guess a film this provocative can’t be considered bad; quite the contrary, “Cache” is a menacing thriller that never pumps up the volume. It remains predatorily silent and mysterious. Somehow it’s incredibly effective. I can’t say the same for “Das Weisse Band” even though it is beautifully photographed (in stunning black and white) and powerfully acted. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it a bad film but I think it collapses under the weight of its own ambitions. It needed to be more cathartic and lessened its scope. With a tighter narrative it could have been really special.