The White Ribbon
Through most of this film, I’ll be honest to not quite knowing how the title related to the story it told. Missing the first couple of minutes of the film didn’t help, either.
But as director Michael Haneke’s film settles in, any pre-conceived notions of a traditional plot must be abandoned. The “white ribbon” of the title is used by a village pastor to set his misbehaving children apart. It is meant to signify purity and innocence. As we follow the events in a German village in the months leading up to WWI, we see that the film is intended to be seen as an end to the innocence of old for the people of this village.
Haneke has made his name on making difficult films, including the unseen-by-me “Cache,” “The Piano Teacher,” and the US version of his own “Funny Games.” I hated the latter, and admired “The Piano Teacher.” “The White Ribbon” is something else, though. Shown in black-and-white (although filmed in color), it follows the villagers as they try to make sense of a series of tragedies. No one is sure who is responsible, and as recounted by the village’s schoolteacher, no conclusions are ever made.
Haneke is working in the vein of Bergman here, dealing with difficult subjects and ideas. His film isn’t for the weak of heart or the less-patient (it does move a bit slowly at 140 minutes), but as an example of world cinema at its’ most-provocative and potent, there’s no question.
