Michael Haneke is very close to being the peak of absurdism in cinema.
Since his early works, it becomes apparent the dark and reflective themes of his films. The Seventh Continent, his directorial debut, is the perfect introduction to Haneke's cinematic universe. Very bleak and profoundly disturbing, highlighting issues in society. Benny's Video maintains the tone, but then Haneke takes a slightly different approach for 71 Fragments. Although still dark and cold, this surges in the form of a “hyperlink movie”, showing the life of a set of characters that will eventually meet their fate in a fatal event. This movie also has the single scene that I think describes Haneke's films the best: a husband and a wife, eating dinner together, the husband is slightly drunk, gets annoyed and slaps her. And then they just sit there in silence thinking about the bizarre event that happened without fully knowing how to react. That's how Haneke's movies feel.
In 1997, we are presented to one of Haneke's masterpieces, Funny Games. This is his first movie that could be considered as a horror movie. It's especially graphic, completely brutal. The use of heavy metal music serves a good purpose of increasing the overall sense of brutality in the film. It was done as a way of criticizing the portrayal of violence in the media, and serves that purpose very well. Has some tongue in cheek moments where the main character breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the viewer, illustrating the point that the audience is also responsible for what is happening. Although all of Haneke's movies have an underlying critic to society in some way, Funny Games is the one that was purposely done with said criticism as the central theme.
Then comes what I consider to be Haneke's magnum opus: The Piano Teacher. This movie combines the coldness of The Seventh Continent with the brutality of Funny Games. It's fueled by the critic on the obsession that conservative societies have with discipline and what it does to the individual. The slow buildup until the final brutality to release all the tension created throughout the film is masterfully done.
Overall, we can clearly see the evolution of Haneke's cinematography with the maturation of his ideas. It starts with maximum absurdism almost in the realm of surrealism, but then starts blending some aspects of the mundane society, always giving it a somewhat bleak tone. I think it's very hard for a casual film lover to enjoy his early movies. They are just not relatable in almost any sense. But with the introduction of more humane aspects, everything becomes more enjoyable. It's easier to digest the whole experience and think about the subliminal critic that is present, although still cold and hard to understand sometimes.
All Michael Haneke movies ranked
Since his early works, it becomes apparent the dark and reflective themes of his films. The Seventh Continent, his directorial debut, is the perfect introduction to Haneke's cinematic universe. Very bleak and profoundly disturbing, highlighting issues in society. Benny's Video maintains the tone, but then Haneke takes a slightly different approach for 71 Fragments. Although still dark and cold, this surges in the form of a “hyperlink movie”, showing the life of a set of characters that will eventually meet their fate in a fatal event. This movie also has the single scene that I think describes Haneke's films the best: a husband and a wife, eating dinner together, the husband is slightly drunk, gets annoyed and slaps her. And then they just sit there in silence thinking about the bizarre event that happened without fully knowing how to react. That's how Haneke's movies feel.
In 1997, we are presented to one of Haneke's masterpieces, Funny Games. This is his first movie that could be considered as a horror movie. It's especially graphic, completely brutal. The use of heavy metal music serves a good purpose of increasing the overall sense of brutality in the film. It was done as a way of criticizing the portrayal of violence in the media, and serves that purpose very well. Has some tongue in cheek moments where the main character breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the viewer, illustrating the point that the audience is also responsible for what is happening. Although all of Haneke's movies have an underlying critic to society in some way, Funny Games is the one that was purposely done with said criticism as the central theme.
Then comes what I consider to be Haneke's magnum opus: The Piano Teacher. This movie combines the coldness of The Seventh Continent with the brutality of Funny Games. It's fueled by the critic on the obsession that conservative societies have with discipline and what it does to the individual. The slow buildup until the final brutality to release all the tension created throughout the film is masterfully done.
Overall, we can clearly see the evolution of Haneke's cinematography with the maturation of his ideas. It starts with maximum absurdism almost in the realm of surrealism, but then starts blending some aspects of the mundane society, always giving it a somewhat bleak tone. I think it's very hard for a casual film lover to enjoy his early movies. They are just not relatable in almost any sense. But with the introduction of more humane aspects, everything becomes more enjoyable. It's easier to digest the whole experience and think about the subliminal critic that is present, although still cold and hard to understand sometimes.
All Michael Haneke movies ranked