Happy End

It's very clear how to distinguish a film by Michael Haneke from any other. Many times his works cross a certain line, other times they do a merry jig on said line. And boy, his latest film Happy End does the latter many times over.

A sort of sequel to Haneke's earlier film Amour, Happy End depicts a deeply dysfunctional family: a patriarch who attempts suicide repeatedly, a fractured mother-son relationship, a son with a wandering eye, and an emotionally distant granddaughter. And that's just the half of it.

As he showed with Funny Games and The Piano Teacher, Haneke makes it clear he's morbidly fascinated by what makes a person tick. (The opening sequence of Happy End grimly verifies that claim.) Why do some people behave the way that they do? Haneke doesn't provide a clear answer but no matter. Just enjoy the mayhem as it unfolds.

But much like Code Unknown, Happy End is more of just depicting life as it happens. It's not something that's always fair to some people nor is it full of the expected routines. More often than not, it regularly deals out some hard knocks to most of the people in the world. (Hey, just watch the news.)

Happy End is most definitely a Haneke film. With a dark interest towards human behavior, he explores society in an emotionally numbing manner -- as he is one to do -- to the point where wants to look away but can't bring themselves to do so. And it's probably safe to say that the last scene is the most audacious thing Haneke captured in any of his works.

My Rating: ****

Amour

We've all seen films revolving around the young couples in the early stages of their relationships, ranging from minor domestic dramas to full-fledged breakups. But what happens after those rocky early years? Do they stay the same or move on?

Michael Haneke's Amour depicts Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva), an elderly couple with many years behind them and not much more ahead. The film shows the slow, quiet decline of Anne and the emotional toll it takes on Georges. (Cheerful stuff, isn't it?)

This is the thing about Haneke. Usually his films are of the disturbing variety. (Seriously, The Piano Teacher gets creepy every five minutes.) So seeing a film of his that's actually human is a shock. A very, very depressing shock.

But like many of Haneke's other films, it's the performances that make the film last. Trintignant and Riva, both acclaimed veterans of French cinema, are simply brilliant here. Riva showcases talent that clearly shows her longevity as an actress. Trintignant in turn displays a silent understanding throughout the film as Georges witnesses the mental decay of Anne. Heavy performances from a heavy film.

Amour is not an easy film to watch. (Then again, considering who the director is...) The sheer fact that you might have witnessed similar events in your own life makes the film even more devastating. It's simply heartbreaking.

My Rating: *****

Cache

I think what makes Michael Haneke's Cache so interesting to watch could be because of what it's about. What I found so bewitching about it was how the film was constructed. (I like the technical side of film sometimes, so sue me.)

The more appealing factor of Cache is that it's not like what you would expect as would with an Alfred Hitchcock film. We get thrown into the story long after it started. The tapes delivered seem pointless as they capture nothing of significance. But they hide something of importance.

Like any good suspense film, actors are key. The stars of Cache are Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche, both fine actors of French cinema. Think of them as the French versions of Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine in Rebecca. He's hiding a secret while she is blissfully unaware of what it is. Well played, Mr. Haneke.

I'm not sure if it was Haneke's idea or cinematographer Christian Berger's, but the numerous uses of long takes is remarkable. The unflinching camera records every moment as if hidden from the characters' gazes. Even Hitchcock couldn't think of something that clever. (Okay, that famous zoom shot in Notorious is pretty good.)

Cache is just really mesmerizing. Apparently French films know how to capture true suspense. (Diabolique and Eyes Without a Face also confirm this.) If you haven't seen this, answer this question: why?

My Rating: *****

Code Unknown

I'm a trifle reluctant towards Michael Haneke. I was underwhelmed by The Piano Teacher and Funny Games annoyed the hell out of me. But you know what they say: third times's the charm,

Was that the case with Code Unknown? Surprisingly yes. Perhaps it's because it's not pretentious and full of self-worth like The Piano Teacher and Funny Games. (Sorry, Tyler.) Instead, it's a damn fine film focusing on a menagerie of people, connected only by an incident that happens early on.

There are two things in Code Unknown that made me love it. The first is the acting. It feels very natural rather than forced like most of the actors in the other Haneke films I saw. It flows as the film progresses.

The second thing is how Code Unknown is shot. Many of its scenes are shot in long takes, which is a risky move in itself. (God knows how many times it took to get each scene right.) All in all, a clever decision from Haneke.

As mentioned above, third time's the charm. And Code Unknown is definitely a charm. It just works wonderfully. Especially after seeing The Piano Teacher and Funny Games, I was surprised this was a work from Haneke. That's a good thing, mind you.

My Rating: *****

Funny Games

I really need to learn to not get my expectations up so high for some films. I always get my hopes dashed.

This can be applied to Michael Haneke's Funny Games. I heard it was a film full of torture, sadism and all sorts of nastiness, something bound to horrify anyone who dared watched. If that's the case, then what was the garbage I saw?

Seriously, it's like Haneke didn't even try to make it the least bit suspenseful. It would have been nice, but he didn't even give a hint of it. Frustrating, really. (I doubt the remake made improvements.)

It has its...perks, for lack of a better word. However, there are few. There is an amusing brief sequence towards the end, but that's all there is. It starts off promising, but it all goes downhill from there. And quite quickly too.

Haneke really has a lot to do to get me interested in his work. I mean, The Piano Teacher was a little too bizarre, and Funny Games was a bloody mess, figuratively and literally. What should have been a tale of terror  ended up being insufferable and excruciating to watch. The only torture involved with this film is towards anyone who dares to watch this drivel.

My Rating: **1/2

The Piano Teacher

Tyler has been pestering me for some time to see a certain film. Well, guess what, Tyler? I saw it.

The film in question is Michael Haneke's The Piano Teacher. Tyler dubbed Isabelle Huppert's work (and frequently too) as "the best female acting performance I have ever seen". It's a damn good performance no doubt about it, though I can't sing the same praises as Tyler. (My vote for greatest female performance seen is Gena Rowlands in either A Woman Under the Influence or Opening Night.)

That doesn't mean it's a bad performance. It's a bold piece of work from Huppert. Her character of Erika keeps a persistent blank look on her face, her mouth only twitching to a faint smile when she listens to someone play the piano masterfully. (There's a similar reaction from her student Walter (Benoit Magimel) with the same thing.)

The audience never really learns of what made Erika the woman she is today. It's slightly frustrating to be honest. (Yes, a similar scenario happens in Shame, but Steve McQueen and Abi Morgan knew what they were doing.) All we pretty much know is that this woman has a kinky nature underneath her composed veneer.

The Piano Teacher by all means isn't a great film but also isn't a bad one either. Regardless of what Tyler says about it, I wasn't heavily impressed by Huppert's work. (I think he hyped it too much.) Still, this and Black Swan would make a badass double feature.

My Rating: ****