|
 idden"
is the latest film from German auteur Michael
Haneke, director of "Code Unknown" and
"Funny Games". The film has already
garnered a multitude of awards, including the best
director and Jury prizes at
Cannes
. This is perhaps unsurprising, as the film is a
textbook example of European art house cinema,
being perplexing and quite obviously more
concerned with symbolism and enigmatic themes than
with narrative. This is not to suggest that
"Hidden" is a bad film, as it is
cleverly directed, well acted, and for the most
part quite gripping. However, Haneke as usual aims
not to entertain or to tell a story, but to use
and manipulate the cinematic medium to find
meaning. As such, whilst the film is easy to
admire, it is difficult to truly enjoy, and is in
many ways a frustrating and unsatisfying
experience.
The set up is deceptively
simple, revolving around a Parisian couple,
Georges (Daniel Auteuil) and Anne (Juliette
Binoche, "Chocolat")
who begin to receive strange videotapes containing
hours of seemingly pointless footage of their
home, accompanied by strange, childish drawings of
a face with blood pouring from its mouth. Since
there is no direct threat implied, the police
refuse to take any action. As the couple begin to
crack under the pressure and grow more paranoid
with every tape, the mysterious stalker steps up
his actions, leading Georges to confront a dark
secret from his past.
The plot as such is
interesting, and for a good part of its running
time the film is similarly intriguing, with Haneke
gradually and subtly notching up the tension. The
ways in which the couple react to the intrusion on
their lives is believable, and it is difficult not
to be drawn into their feelings of apprehension
and fear. The film is eminently unpredictable,
with a number of surprising twists, and one
genuinely shocking scene which is guaranteed to
leave jaws agape.
Unfortunately, as the film
draws towards its close, it becomes quite obvious
that a conclusion in the conventional sense is
unlikely. Whilst strictly speaking Haneke finds
thematic closure, it is a little annoying to have
the narrative simply left hanging with a
deliberately cryptic final shot, and although the
viewer can draw their own conclusions as to what
has happened, much remains unresolved.
Haneke uses the narrative and the characters to explore
themes of guilt, responsibility and racism,
specifically through the issues of French
colonialism and the often hypocritical attitudes
of the country's modern liberals. On a wider
scale, he examines the complacency of the Western
world, and the paranoia and duplicity surrounding
the war against terrorism. In this way,
"Hidden" is certainly an ambitious, wide
reaching film which makes an admirable attempt to
engage the intellect, and which keeps the viewer
thinking after the credits have rolled.
The film is directed in an
austere, though stylish manner, using handheld
camera and surveillance footage to give a sense of
intimacy, through which Haneke makes the viewer
feel uncomfortably like a voyeur. The pace is
deliberately slow, with many long, unmoving shots
in which very little happens, and the viewer is
forced to examine the image to work out fully what
is being shown. There are various instances when
the viewer is unsure whether what they are
watching is actually happening, or is on one of
the tapes, or even a dream. This does create an
atmosphere of unease, and successfully passes on
the characters' growing distress, though it at
times feels a little self-conscious, and to an
extent Haneke overplays his hand.
Although "Hidden"
may have the appearance of a thriller on paper, it
is not really a film for the casual viewer, or for
anyone seeking straightforward entertainment.
Though artfully made, it requires considerable
effort from the viewer, not only in terms of
intellect, but a willingness to overlook the
wilfully obscure narrative in favour of alluded
meaning. |
