Violence breeds violence

Rating: 8/10 (1 October 2018)

That violence breeds violence is an old insight, a fact that nevertheless seems to be ignored also by the society pictured in this movie. We get to see obscure and violent events that happen in a Puritan German rural community in the early 20th century, shortly before the outbreak of WW1. Is it really possible that these violent acts are the joint deeds of school children?
What really makes it a rough story is not the fact that these violent acts do happen but the strictness and lovelessness with which these children are grown up so that some kind of counter-reaction is almost to be expected. Also women are not treated much better. Their financial dependency and the pending male violence makes them to obedient and indulgent creatures. It is only the baroness who dares to break free from the bigotry of her husband.
At the same time we do hope that the amount of pictured misanthropy is exaggerated. It also has to be considered that to a certain extent people are just caught in the beliefs of the time. When the pastor ties his oldest son up during the night to prevent him from masturbation it seems at least possible that he believes in doing it for the best of the boy. This apology, however, does not apply for the doctor, who really seems to be an upright sadist.
The deduction, that it was this environment that made these children to the delinquents of tomorrow and can therefore explain the cruelty of German fascism, seems to me a bit daring. I would say that it may have contributed to it like many other aspects and it should therefore be seen only as an attempt for an explanation.
What is it then that makes one fancy this Haneke movie in black and white?
First of all it is an interesting period movie that makes us see, how hard country life still was just about a hundred years from now, especially when families had to feed a lot of hungry children which by the way happen to be all over the place in the movie.
It also is a very self-contained story, quite different from the usual choice of films. If a comparison has to be made I'd like to stress the almost Hitchcock like suspense which makes one stay on with the movie. When the film has ended it will most likely be the other way round: the movie will stay on with the spectator and will keep his mind occupied for a little while longer.