The White Ribbon
Director: Michael Haneke Run Time: 144 min. Format: Digital Rating: R Release Year: 2009 Language: German with English Subtitles
Starring: Josef Bierbichler, Ulrich Tukur, Christian Friedel
XX diretors select Michael Haneke’s haunting pre-WWI film, THE WHITE RIBBON.
“The White Ribbon is a ghost story without a ghost, a whodunnit without a denouement, a historical parable without a lesson, and for two and a half hours, this unforgettably disturbing and mysterious film leads its viewers alongside an abyss of anxiety.” – The Guardian
On the eve of World War I, strange accidents in a small Protestant village in Northern Germany involve the children and teenagers of a choir run by the schoolteacher and their families. The abused and suppressed children of the villagers seem to be at the heart of this mystery as these events gradually take on the character of a punishment ritual. Director Michael Haneke says that The White Ribbon is, “about the roots of evil. Whether it’s religious or political terrorism, it’s the same thing.”
Part of Nitehawk’s XX Selects midnite series featuring film selected by XX directors.