BLACK AND WHITE, YET NOT >>>
Austrian Michael Haneke can be a frustrating filmmaker. His film Caché (2005), while fascinating, moved at a slow pace with an ending that could be maddening to viewers who expect answers out of their mysteries. His latest work, The White Ribbon (Das weisse Band) - a black-and-white drama set in a small German village on the eve of the first World War - also moves at a snails pace, and again, you're given only the suggestion of what the events you witness mean. Yet, it's more than clear how things will end.
The White Ribbon opens at The Grand Cinema Friday.
As Roger Ebert describes it, The White Ribbon "tells a simple story in a village about little people and suggests that we must find a balance between fear and security." Ebert loved the film, tagging it with four stars, and applauding its cinematography - as did the Academy, which nominated the film for Christian Berger's chilly cinematography. The film also received a nod for Best Foreign Language Film.