Didn't love it as much as i should have

Rating: 7/10 (14 March 2010)

Two years in a row films that win the Palme D'or have strong social and political messages. Both Haneke's "White Ribbon" and Cantet's "The Class" chose to deliver the message of how the society influences children and in turn it's future. It seems to me that the judges at Cannes are a bit inclined to give the award not to the better film but to a more important film. While Haneke's effort on "The White Ribbon" is evident: it's visually stunning, the structure of scenes are very much his signature objective style (that doesn't really stir me but i get what he is trying say). The children's performances are amazing, they truly steal the show. Now the problem for me with this film is that it's constantly trying to deliver the messages it's supposed to, it's overpowering and practically smothers every storyline in the film, the cinematic style stresses it again. It's an interesting study in Haneke's favorite subject the nature of violence. But to me it drags a bit more then it should i couldn't for some reason appreciate the slow burner pace, which I know many people loved. But for me it wasn't the best movie of the year, not even my favorite Haneke film. I'm not sure it will stand the test of time and become a classic that everybody predicts it will be.