The White Ribbon

The White Ribbon was a film I didn’t quite understand the first time I saw it. Not that the film is confusing in anyway, but i went in thinking this film was a mystery, and in ways it is, but on a rewatch I discovered it was so much more. The White Ribbon is a very provoking, well thought out look into the pathos of the German population pre world war one, with a major emphasis on those who would go on to form one of the most brutal, and strange parties in history, the Nazi party. The results achieved in this film do wonders in allowing us to understand how and why people could ever bring themselves to join ranks with Hitler, a particularly important film for anyone who has interest in World War II.

The White Ribbon is the story of a town, Eichwald, located in a rural area of Germany, just before the outbreak of World War I. In this town a series of mysterious and violent instances occur, with very little evidence left behind. The story is bookended with narration from the school teacher who is reflecting on this event with admittance of grey areas do to age. This school teacher is our central character, but his recollection is also further fleshed out and we look into the windows and hearts of several other families who all have possible motivations for being the culprit behind these strange instances. Of the families that are followed, there is a baron and his wife and child, who provides work for sixty percent of the town, a father who barely makes ends meet for his vast unruly family, A doctor with a terrible secret, and a pastor who rules his family with a devout iron fist. Several other people filter in and out of the tale, and a love interest for the School teacher allows moments of character development, all the while the person or persons responsible for the crime lurk somewhere in the shadows. But as i have already stated, this film is more than a whodunit, it’s far deeper than that.

I really liked this film, not just because of what it says, but the way in which it was presented. Director Michael Haneke knows above most things, how to play his audience. His films have always been laced with contrition toward the film goer, however this time he turns that anger on itself with insinuations about the mental state of the very population that bore him. He does this with the finest tuned hand imaginable that these things may even go unnoticed as you get caught up in the mysterious elements of the tale. None the less it’s there and it’s very well played and insightful. Haneke makes parallels between religion, faith, family values and ignorance that make for seemingly accurate analogies for why people might have gone on to attempt extermination of its Jewish population. Anyone with only a passing knowledge on that period of history will have their views expanded; just as anyone looking a good film will be equally / doubly rewarded.

With the scripts wonderful premises aside, there is some wonderful acting for a large cast that are all brilliantly cast. Christian Friedel who plays the teacher, gives a great performance that feels very realistic, but the film is about more than his view of the tragedy. Many of the children in the film give performance that seem as seasoned as the adult roles. The adults are wonderfully complex characters, and a lot of other themes are explored around them as their ideals contrast the generation they vehemently try to raise. A film loaded with beauty and import. Also the cinematography is really wonderful despite originally being filmed in color, the town and townsfolk really come alive, and the film really aims for a high technical value and achieves all of it. There are lots of wonderful bits and pieces that help to propel the slow moving events and make every scene a crucial part; either in thought or in action.

On the whole I think The White Ribbon is a 2009 film you can’t afford to miss. Not only is it brilliantly rendered its a story that has a lot to say, and does both in superb fashion. It’s not surprising to see this film nominated outside the foreign film category, it could’ve feasibly achieved more, the costumes and art direction are also apt. So if you haven’t seen this film yet, what’s holding you back? Don’t let Haneke’s hatred of mainstream audiences scare you away, this time he’s turned the mirror on himself and presents a taste of his own medicine that couldn’t be more bittersweet, or more apt. Recommended