As for Haneke's handling of the material, his directing is immaculate. Every moment is the product of a penetrating mind and a steady talent.
Overview
An aged tailor recalls his life as the schoolteacher of a small village in Northern Germany that was struck by a series of strange events in the year leading up to WWI.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
The White Ribbon is a stark, contemplative and hauntingly brilliant film.
Writer-director Michael Haneke doesn't pull any punches, but then he doesn't throw any wild ones, either. His filmmaking shows precisely the sort of obsession with control that the movie itself is denouncing. Interesting, you've got to admit.
Haneke tells this tale a bit too patiently for my taste. But the metaphors are unmistakable, as is the power of the film's message.
The White Ribbon lunges hungrily for serious art-film credibility. Don't be fooled.
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