Cache (Hidden)

2005 psychological thriller

Rating: 15?/20

Plot: Georges and Anne are an upper-class couple living somewhere in France. They have a teenage son named Pierrot and lots of books. Georges hosts a book-related public television talk show, and his wife goes around doing whatever she does. Everything's copacetic. That is, until the couple starts receiving anonymous video tapes showing hours of surveillance at their home. As they contemplate who could possibly be sending these tapes, later accompanied with childish but violent drawings, details about their secret past and present emerge and put a strain on their relationships.

Not real sure about the 15/20 rating above with this one. It's one that requires multiple viewings. I've only seen one other Michael Haneke movie (Funny Games), but it seems like he's a director who isn't making movies so much as he is just dicking around with his audience. This is a movie clearly not made for American audiences. There's nothing easy about it, and it's compiled from scene after scene in which next-to-nothing happens. Several times, I wondered if I had accidentally hit the pause button. But it's complete genius how Haneke is able to create so much tension and suspense while this next-to-nothing is going on. There's also no music at all in this, and long bits of dialogue that don't seem to matter but that you are forced to listen to (actually, I had to read them) in search for clues. Frustrating viewing, but I thought it was worth the investment. Something about the direction compels you to lean toward the screen and look at every single scene more closely than you normally would. (In fact, I had to rewind and watch the last scene again to see exactly what I missed the first time.) There's a historical context (a French black eye that has something to do with mistreating Algerians) that I have absolutely no background on, and I wonder if I'm missing something a little deeper. Actually, I know there's more beneath the surface of this one although it's still an engrossing look at the affect of guilt on people's lives.

Here I am watching: