Impressive, oppressive

Rating: 9/10 (2 January 2015)

Northern European literature is rife with family tales and coming-of-age stories told against the backdrop of Lutheran austerity. During its heyday - he 1970s and 1980s - Dutch and German filmmakers translated several of these novels to the silver screen, with reasonable results. But here comes Michael Haneke, an Austrian(!) director with the superb, original "Das Weiße Band" to belatedly capture Calvinist cinema's crown.
Shot in stark black and white, "Das Weiße Band" transports us to a German village in the 1910s, where people work hard, pray hard and go nowhere, literally. If you squint, there's a touch of Twin Peaks here: Haneke's efficient script wastes no time introducing us to a variety of villagers, all of them struggling in one way or the other. Instantly, ominous things start to happen. Right from the opening credits, the atmosphere is captivating and believable. My grandparents grew up in the 1910s, and Haneke's sets look completely like their family photographs.
Without giving away too much of the plot: this movie is very pretty, but contains some painful images. It is restrained and formal, but emotionally draining. It is not recommended for viewers who can't stand to see children get hurt. At the same time, it features some great, lighthearted scenes illustrating the social customs a century ago. The scenes with the schoolteacher and his fiancée are particularly priceless.
Highly recommended.