Class And Gender In British Labour History
Liz Payne hails a rigorous overview of women in the labour movement
The White Ribbon (15)
Directed by Michael Haneke
Thursday 12 November 2009
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It was Michael Haneke's mystery thriller set in a northern German village just before World War I that won this year's Palme d'Or at Cannes.
But why? It beats me.
Written and directed by the Austrian film-maker it is painfully slow and felt as if it would never end.
The movie, shot in stark black and white, centres on a close-knit German community where a number of strange, violent events suddenly occur during 1913-14.
It seems that the village children, who appear to be abused and repressed, may be responsible.
The youngsters are terrifying, brutal and cold-blooded.
They are all blonde and Aryan-looking and difficult to tell apart.
They reminded me of the scary kids in Village Of The Damned.
This isn't a riveting thriller, but Haneke trying to be deep and meaningful as he studies violence and repression, exploring whether this is the precursor to what would transpire 20 years later when this generation grew up.
It is an unsatisfying movie as it doesn't give you any answers to the mystery.
So after almost two-and-a half hours I was none the wiser and had lost the will to care.
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