Haunting and disturbing

Rating: 7/10 (29 March 2010)

The White Ribbon is a brooding and deeply disturbing piece of cinema, it is both powerful as it is unsettling. Although, it is rather extreme and disturbing,it manages to provide a stern voice.
The village in White Ribbon is hardly ever shown in a light that one could suggest was tranquil, vibrant or positive. There is always this underlying and potent misery languishing around the characters. The beautiful black and white cinematography, which is very exact provides I think this antonym of beauty and ugliness. At Haneke's most bleakest the black and white serves as a truly haunting presence.
The film assess the strict religious upbringing of the community, and within these environs Haneke proceeds to provide a deeply malignant underbelly of both moral corruption and repression. The disturbing events that askew the supposed peaceful and obedient community serve as almost a repost to those of the hierarchy, being those in the most respected positions being the Baron, The Pastor and The Doctor, as they are all affected somehow.
There are some strong scenes in the White Ribbon in particular when a young boy is learning the meaning of the word death and when the son of the Pastor provides a replacement bird for his father's newly deceased one (one of only a handful of pleasant moments in the film)are very emotive.
Haneke never provides answers to the events depicted although you can garner what you wish. In essence the disturbing events appear to be either rather unfortunate or the actions of the youth who are repressed by the community and wish to exact their revenge in the only way they know, or can.
The White Ribbon is a powerful film conveying how Haneke believes evil ferments. The village is used in essence as a microcosm for the state of Germany in 1918, and provides a possible reason for why Germany turned to fascism. Although I found it at times rather unpalatable, and it is not a film you will enjoy,it is undeniably potent in its delivery.