favorite films cont'd.

The White Ribbon (Das weisse Band) 2009 D:Michael Haneke

The process of watching a film affects everyone both consciously and unconsciously as if one were experiencing a dream. A dream, just as a film, is built up from a collection of psychic formations and in order to analyze these formations one must focus on the motives in individual parts.

In this German Language Oscar nominee director Michael Haeneke tells the story of mysterious acts of cruelty occurring in a small German village in 1913. From the beginning the viewer is brought into the story through a third person narrative retold by the village School teacher. At the outset he admits that some of the story is from his direct experience and some is just hearsay, as he is looking back to this event in his old age.

Tragic events drive the plotline such as the town’s doctor getting gravely injured by a wire some one intentionally placed at the very beginning of the story, to later his mentally disabled illegitimate son getting tortured. As viewers witness these terrible events taking place in public spaces without any known suspects, the director also reveals the oppressive nature within the homes of villagers’ families. We see the fundamental system of the patriarchy through the complete control over women and children wielded by the Baron, Pastor, and Doctor. All of the adults are unnamed characters referred to only by their occupations, which was likely done to illustrate the inhumanity and commonality of these societal roles. Women largely play subservient roles as wives, caretakers, and nannies, but their internal struggles are not overlooked in the film. On at least two occasions we see women at least attempting to challenge their oppressive husbands, but we still see women forced to accept their roles.

This is a very intelligent film in the way that it represents the dark sides of human social organization. By leaving the culprits who committed the crimes unknown in the story Haeneke reveals that all of a society is to blame for allowing their hierarchical systems to continue unquestioned. There are a few themes that clearly shine through from the illusive narrative story including; class inequality, religious control, and the commonality of human cruelty.