A cold kettle of fish

Rating: 10/10 (16 January 2010)

This austere, ravishingly beautiful film by Michael Haneke ostensibly concerns itself with the German mystique that led to their involvement in two World Wars. It may well be that, but what Haneke accomplishes is nothing less than exploring the nature of evil itself that emerges from cruelty, forced servitude (in many forms), empty dogma and the corruption of innocence (that white ribbon that symbolizes innocence in the title of the film and is physically manifest as a real ribbon worn on the arms of children who would—in 20 years--replace those ribbons with swastika's).
Universal in its scope it may well attain "masterpiece" status even as we watch. While the performances in this film are impeccable, it's the filmmaker's realization of what he's putting before us with such confidence and beauty that overwhelms. I won't pretend this is a movie for everyone since the subject matter alone will alienate many and the resolution leaves all that we've seen open. But isn't that true in life? The most horrible crimes are never completely understood even with intense study. How much has been written about the Holocaust and we still grapple with it even being possible. Haneke lays before us the origin of such evil, but we still find it hard to understand those who act it out.
This is one of the few films that the subtitles spoil compositions on the screen. I hope the DVD edition places the titles off the frame. Great technical devices draw us into a world that is only half seen. The camera will fix on a physical composition and the action will take place off screen or half-hidden by some architectural feature, for instance a brutal corporal punishment occurs after we watch a child fetch the cane and disappear behind a closed dooronly the sounds of lashing and cries of pain are what we hear. Over and over, this technique is employed and rather than frustrating us from actually witnessing the horror of very cruel acts, we only imagine them and it unsettles us more.
Walking out of the theater most of the audience was silent, but I heard one fellow whistle and exclaim, "Boy, that's a tough one!" Yes, tough and beautifully made and hard to shake off. But undeniably a rare achievement in the cinema.