The White Ribbon

In a respectable one hundred and forty minutes, Haneke uncovers a truly incredible cabaret of the demeaning, hypocritical, vengeful, and cruel. The most depressing analysis of a closed society you're likely to come across. And the film pulls this off on its own without any judgement. In this work, the door plays a major role. (2010-07-02)

That was awesome! A hard, unpleasant and very intense psychological drama. I’ve just watched it and I feel as if Haneke had ran me over with a steamroller. The White Ribbon is a truly impressive mosaic of relationships in an Austrian village before WWI that reveals the origins of human hatred and corruption. It’s almost like a realistic Twin Peaks. (2010-01-01)

The White Ribbon is the best possible thesis work of a student of all creative subjects at film school. I am one of those viewers who are able to appreciate this (and I have nothing but praise for Michael Haneke’s art), but a long time ago I fell in love with moving pictures above all for their emotions, and those are lacking here. (2010-01-13)

Michael Haneke is an excellent author who can surprise you with each of his films because each one is different. It's a different genre, and often a different style as well, although it's true that his films usually share a slower pace. Here, you'll be completely captivated by the black-and-white execution, even though the film wasn't originally shot in black and white but later adapted to it. (2016-04-12)

Set against the backdrop of those horrific events, The White Ribbon reveals the warped morals and stifling atmosphere of a German village, which escalates as the number of atrocities escalates. The spasmodically punctilious and often unnecessarily cruel upbringing of the children blinds the minds of the villagers in their search for the real culprits – unable to even admit or consider that their offspring might have had something to do with it... A very impressive drama indeed, with excellent child actors, in which interpersonal relationships and concealed loathing are excellently portrayed alongside unidentifiable evil (Haneke really takes the gloves off for this one). P.S.: I was pleasantly surprised by the almost full capacity of the multiplex. :) 90% (2010-01-24)