An important film with exquisite photography and lots of food for thought.

Rating: 10/10 (26 October 2016)

In this exquisitely photographed black-and-white film we meet the inhabitants of Eichwald, a small rural North German community, shortly before the outbreak of the Great War, as seen through the eyes of an 'outsider' young schoolteacher (Christian Friedel), and documentary-style narrated by Ernst Jacobi. The baron (Ulrich Tukur) is a powerful man; many of the local inhabitants work on his estate as tenant labourers. Many of the people have large families with many children.
We quickly pick up that resentment is simmering among some of the kids. They are often treated badly by the overly strict adults. In particular, it is the children of the Protestant pastor (Burghart Klaussner) who get harshly treated, even physically and psychologically abused by their strict, sanctimonious father. It is the pastor who ties white ribbons to his children to remind them daily that they have to lead pure lives. It is a bitter irony that few of the adults would practise what they preach...
The apparent bucolic tranquility is shattered when the doctor's horse runs into a trip wire and the doctor sustains injuries to land him in hospital. Shortly thereafter the young son of the baron gets abducted and beaten by unknown assailants. And then there is the case of arson on the baron's estate. Before long a mood of suspicion and paranoia pervades the community.
One of the strong points of the film is that the focus is not on solving the mystery of who was responsible for the attacks against the 'establishment', but rather to let the drama subtly - and ambiguously - unfold, leaving us with important questions about the roles of religion, the social order and authoritarianism, and the nature of evil.
I have to re-emphasize the truly splendid monochrome cinematography; particularly some of the indoor shots and snowy landscapes look as if they should be exhibited as works of art in a museum. The soundtrack is wonderful too; it effectively complements the austerity of the more sombre scenes, yet also the ebullience when enjoying the 'end of harvest' festival.
The acting of the professional and non-professional cast is remarkable. It is particularly the young cast that stands out with their truly natural performances. Young actors that should be mentioned are Martin (Leonard Proxauf), Klara (Maria-Victoria Dragus) and Gustav (Thibalt Sérié). Credit to the casting directors; apparently they have interviewed more than 7000 kids for these roles.
Serious movie-lovers will enjoy the 'The White Ribbon'; it is highly recommended. My score: 9.5/10.