The root of evil

Rating: 8/10 (16 December 2013)

The White Ribbon had been on my wish list for a long time, since it won the 2010 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. I had thought Haneke's films were mostly intense and violent, not at all a mainstream. But winning the Golden Globe Award gave me a feeling that this film should not be too difficult to watch. And it is really so, though the film is still intense and somewhat violent anyway.
The White Ribbon depicts society in a German village before the outbreak of World War I, where a series of mysterious violent events happened. The village was still under feudal system and religion had strong influence. The higher class used their authority over the lower, not just in the society but also in their families. The lower had no right to argue. Could the mysterious violence be a result of the pressure on them?
The White Ribbon is not as sadistic as Haneke's latter film 'Amour', and thus easier to watch. Perhaps also because it doesn't use lot of long still shots like Amour, and it's in a narrative story-telling style, so the audience do not feel so involved and so tortured. Both films are great, but in my taste I prefer Amour a bit more.