Caché

Michael Haneke's film is unnerving in its gradual build-up of tension, reaching an almost unbearable level. With minimalist, cold and apathetic cinematography, he presents complex characters who drive the narrative in a natural and realistic way. Every scene and detail contributes to an atmosphere of growing tension and a plot marked by unpredictable and disturbing paths, leaving room for multiple interpretations.

This is one of the best movies I have seen in this century. The unusual style of Haneke's filmmaking is beyond appreciation. Such a beauty!!!

In the opening minutes of the movie the viewer learns that there is a mystery afoot. As the film wears on the nature of the mystery seems to shift from finding out who the antagonist is to finding out the back story of the conflict. Some in the film become more sympathetic and graceful, others much less so. The ending might not be for everyone but for me it worked. I love it when the end of a film stays with me for days on end and I have to work for it. Hell, Roger Ebert watched the films multiple times (and wrote several blogs!) and still had to google to find out what it all meant. I am still googling.

As an aside this is neither a horror movie or really all that disturbing - I don't have much of a stomach for either and had no problems watching it.

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A gripping psychological thriller about paranoia and sins of the past through a concept of a married couple receiving mysterious tapes planted on their front porch. That feeling of your darkest secrets being exposed and observed by everyone. Using a simplistic approach, mainly static shots with minimal editing and no music, this film manages to grab the audience right from the start and doesn't ever let go. It starts out as a mystery that slowly transforms into hints that support the themes. Every scene is shot carefully and works so well establishing a feeling of dread and unease. The way it frames the interactions between the characters makes you feel like you're spying on them. I think the guy who plays George is absolutely phenomenal. I'm glad I finally watched this.

Visually stunning and well-directed, but it's a hard watch and requires reading about it afterward to fully understand. Overall, I liked it.

A bourgeois Parisian family finds mysterious videotapes delivered to their doorstep. Reminiscent of the prologue in "Lost Highway," the tapes primarily feature recordings of the exterior of their home, gradually moving towards their intimate spaces. We already know where this is heading: what lies beneath the apparent happiness of the bourgeoisie? Actually, the interventions of this mysterious stalker reveal little or nothing, relying instead on the characters' reactions to unveil their true nature. The cinematography is as static and sterile as the tapes delivered within the film. In fact, at the beginning in each scene, you may question whether it's part of the movie or just one of the mysterious recordings. It's also challenging to trust the protagonist's memories, with dreams that could be recollections of the past or just fabricated recollections to cover up the lies of a lifetime.

Despite the film itself being so restrained and essential in execution, I found it thematically captivating. I don't think I'll revisit it anytime soon, but I'll keep it in my notebook of films to remember.

Voyeuristic and unsettling, Caché is a surprisingly messaged piece with some of the grit and gore that you'd expect from a Michael Haneke movie, but probably not as much or of the kind you're expecting. Initially let down by the lack of usual Haneke brutality, I was quite shocked to see a more restrained, pointed message movie about French guilt and racism. I loved the subtley and straight faced presentation of these themes, leaving it up to the viewer to piece together and deciper what Haneke is trying to say here; from the news reports, how Georges acts and the underlying mystery from the past. Not bad, and definitely a higher score from me as I love understated message movies, but steer clear if slow burn metaphors are not your thing. Seeing Juliette Binoche in another movie after loving her in The Staircase was also a treat. Good stuff indeed.

The problem I have with Haneke films is that I feel just an observer and don’t get any emotional experience from his films.

His visuals are drab and dreary and his characters talk a lot and also act very illogically.

His films just leave me cold.

It’s ok. Not bad. But i don’t usually feel the need to revisit a Haneke film after watching.

This film has similar themes to Old Boy but Park Chan Wook’s style is involving and emotional and I care about the characters.

Oh well, different strokes for different folks…

5.5/10

I understand that Hanecke's films aim to shine the spotlight on the bourgeois aspects of society, the indifference towards small and large injustices, but his way to narrate them is too cold and detached, creating indifference in the viewer