CACHE (2004, FRANCE)

FILMS FROM THE 21st CENTURY

(Post 42 of 50)

Some quick takes on the most relatively recent listings from the
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list

I've seen enough Michael Haneke movies to know that a Michael Hankeke thriller is not going to be a typical by the number suspense thriller. The above shot is how the movie starts. It is camera surveillance tape that the husband and wife characters in this movie keep getting copies of. What is it all about? We find out slowly and we are given clues and the movie goes off in all sorts of directions that you might not expect it to go. Some parts made me say "wow," while others made me ask "what?" I had to watch the final scene a couple of times for it to register. I''m still not sure I got it completely, but Haneke films aren't supposed to be easy. It is my favorite of his films on the 1001 list. (The others being Funny Games and The White Ribbon).

THE PIANO TEACHER (2001, AUSTRIA)

FILMS FROM THE 21st CENTURY

(Post 7 of 50)

Some quick takes on the most relatively recent listings from the
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list

The major conflict of The Piano Teacher is the duality between a woman named Erika who is classically trained in the arts but has secret sexual desires, many involving sexual masochism and humiliation. I don't know if we are supposed to sympathize with her, as we do  feel bad about parts of her upbringing, but we can't excuse some of the things she does either. But I think that's the point, our feelings toward her are not black and white and the film addresses these points. I did find the look into that duality as being very interesting, if often unpleasant.