Ah, where to begin? I suppose I should consider where to end as well… In fact, this is a concept Michael Haneke thoroughly explores in his ambitious film CODE UNKNOWN. This film is in fact an exploration of a lot of different things. It looks at time, human relationships and connections, and western society. Here Haneke is working with a similar experiment he tried with his earlier film 71 FRAGMENTS OF A CHRONOLOGY OF CHANCE. The thing is it’s hard…

Rarely I feel dumb, but this is one of those moments where I feel like I missed something with this film completely and might need it explained to me. A lot of people seem to like it, but I was so disengaged that I only became more frustrated as it went along. Is this movie about miscommunication, disconnection and ignorance? If so, it's not a very engaging one which seems to be my prime criticism with this director (despite really…

Review from Next Projection

It is perhaps strange to think that sign language can have dialects. A system of communication designed for those unable to understand the spoken word, it seems even this can be limited by the national and cultural boundaries we have designed to separate ourselves from one another. Even something designed to unite those left behind by other means of contact is steeped in divides and differences that make it all but impossible for those of different…

The premise of this film was incredibly interesting to me, i willfully gravitate towards intertwining arcs of several characters when done well. Code Unknown is quite the enigmatic film, as to be expected with Haneke, urging you to unravel the code and figure out why things happen, violence, disorders, discontentment, depression, is it just by chance? The unknown part of the title leads me to the latter.

In similar vein to 71 Fragments Haneke again uses swift hard cuts to…

Although this isn't as outright visually disturbing as the usual Haneke, something about it gets under your skin. I think what causes discomfort is the uneasy atmosphere carried on throughout the movie. It's the long unfocused, unedited, and seemingly disjointed shots which blend suddenly into darkness that are so effective. Each segment leaves you in suspense and could easily stand on its own. However, bringing them all together as a whole really gives you a lot to consider and think…

O Haneke é dos meus cineastas preferidos porque ele não facilita pra audiência. Nunca. Ele dá o mínimo possível pra se entender a história, e trabalha muito com conclusões inferidas. Mas dessa vez ele se superou.
Code Inconnu é quase intransponível, com suas cenas desmembradas, sua relação oblíqua entre os personagens, e sua trama pouco fluida. Pra ajudar, ele ainda coloca a Juliette Binoche como uma atriz no meio de uma filmagem, e não avisa quando o que estamos vendo…

Haneke is not an 'easy to digest' filmmaker. He never will. His films are challenging, unsettling, smart, incisive, and hugely ambitious. Even his 'failures' (to say something) are spectacular. But I'm already blabbering, surely in the right way, since he's one of my favorite directors working today.
Code Unknown is not an exception of his genius and his way to enthrall the audience with vivid images. It's sort of a miracle of a film; separated from each other, the segments…

I have serious admiration for Michael Haneke aesthetically, but when it comes to truly liking his films, I have my struggles. Ambigiously following several different story lines that include Juliette Binoche as Anne, an actress living with her photographer boyfriend, Georges (Thierry Neuvic). Then there is section revolving around Georges' angst-ridden teenage brother Jean's (Alexandre Hamidi) declining relationship with their farmer father (Djibril Kouyate). Also included is Amadou (Ona Lu Yenke), the son of Malian immigrants, whose pride results in…