Who else loves Michael Haneke?

First of all, LOOK at this guy. He should probably live in the middle of nowhere in the attic of a broken down house, beaten by relentless stormy weather, writing about life and its mysteries while the rest of us humans eagerly await his next dissertation. On the other hand, he could just put on a long white robe and say things like "the Nine have left Minas Morgul." Either way, he looks AWESOME.

But that's beside the point. What I really mean is this guy is brilliant. I've only seen Cache, Funny Games, and just recently The White Ribbon and I already think he's more inventive and mind boggling than any other director out there. Unless you count Von Trier but that's just going for pure shock/gross value. 

The first time I saw Cache I was just confused. I had to look up what the whole thing meant afterwards, but I do remember that I was enthralled by how intense it all was. I really don't know how to explain it, but I don't believe there's any other director out there who can create such subtle tension from dialogue and just the characters themselves being who they are. He creates very real people. The White Ribbon for instance had one of the largest casts with the most depth to each character I have seen for the longest time. I can't think of another movie that does such a fantastic job except perhaps Magnolia. As for Funny Games, the premise of that film is easy to find tense and frankly quite terrifying and disturbing even without being too violent. 

It's this silent tension that is the groundwork for Haneke's films. Beyond that is the stuff that blows your mind. I don't want to give anything away about Cache or Funny Games, but there's a method and device here that is similar to what Woody Allen does in his movies. Allen often times directly involves himself in the movie by speaking directly to the camera and addressing the audience. This is one of the things that made him famous and is how he begins Annie Hall.

Haneke does the same sort of thing except he does so in such a way that flips what we think of as the conventional relationship between a director and his/her movie. As you can see from the picture above from Funny Games, there's something else going on here. It's fairly obvious what this is by the end, but Cache is not so much. Again, I can't really explain exactly how he does this without ruining too much but once you figure it out, oh man. It's crazy.

Not only does Haneke amaze in this respect, but his films are often a commentary on some present or past issue in society, whether it be an event or philosophy. For Cache, it specifically relates to a massacre of Algerian protesters that occurred in France in the 1960's. The White Ribbon is set in a village that begins to experience inner-turmoil with mysterious acts of violence. Haneke said in an interview about the film that  "If we raise a principle or ideal, be it political or religious, to the status of an absolute, it becomes inhuman and leads to terrorism." Haneke develops this theory to a disturbing reality in The White Ribbon and creates an excellent example of fascinating characters and the tense circumstances they create.

Basically what I'm trying to say is go watch more Haneke! If nothing else, you'll be baffled and maybe furious. But that's the whole point most of the times and Haneke is a master at it.