Movie Review: The White Ribbon

As one of my previous posts states, this film was pretty high on my list of most anticipated films of 2010.  Haneke's Cache is one of my favorite films of all-time.  Still, even five years later, I think about it.  Questioning.  And so I went into this hoping for more of the same.

While nowhere near the same film as Cache, The White Ribbon is riveting in its own right.  Set in Germany in the weeks before WWI, the film takes place in a small town.  And Haneke really allows the audience to immerse themselves in this town, almost like we're there.  And from there, terrible things start to happen throughout the town... without a single clue as to who or what is behind these instances.  Once fully entrenched in the film it is hard not to want to solve these puzzles... and, just like Cache, Haneke does an amazing job of giving you more than enough clues to put your own answer together - but never actually answering the question.

What struck me more than anything about the film was the cinematography.  Besides Haneke's always interesting camera angles, the film represents one of the most breathtaking black and white films I've ever seen.  It was actually shot in color and then converted to black and white.  I hope it wins the Oscar for best cinematography.