English title: Hidden
Genre: psychological drama
Director: Michael Haneke
Release: 2005
Studio: Istituto Luce S.p.A, Les Films du Losange, Les Films Alain Sarde et al. - Sony Pictures Classics
Rating: R
MBiS score: 8.2/10
It’s A Small World After All
When Georges Laurent (Daniel Auteuil), a successful TV personality, finds on his doorstep a 2-hour videocassette depicting the front of his house and his various comings and goings, he instantly wonders what is happening to him. Is he the target of a practical joker or of some kind of maniac? Whatever it is, Georges has no intention of sitting idly by. With Juliette Binoche (Anne, his wife), Lester Makedonsky (Pierrot, their son), Annie Girardot (Georges’ mother), Maurice Bénichou, Walid Afkir and Bernard Le Coq.
CACHÉ, a movie with an odd and very catchy title, begins with a nifty visual trick that blurs the line between two levels of narration. It then lays a clever trap into which Georges Laurent will fall almost irresistibly. In a way, Georges’ predicament recalls that of Sam Bowden in CAPE FEAR but, in Michael Haneke’s film, the harassment is planned more elaborately – to the point of abstraction even – and does not appear as immediate or threatening at first glance. After a while, though, the real dangers that Georges and his family are exposed to – especially on a psychological level – will come to light and his reactions will be brought into context. Things will get messy in the Laurent household as the vise slowly closes on its members but, luckily for us, Haneke’s astute screenplay paints Georges and other characters methodically and gradually enough to help us understand the ordeal’s real implications.
In its form, Haneke’s film is evenly solid and its entire cast, especially its well-known leads Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche, offers spotless performances. To heighten the story’s solemnity, no music was used in CACHÉ, which is also remarkable for its modern set design, its clean but cold visuals and a colour palette using shades of dark green, ivory and black. As for content, the script’s progression toward political allegory may seem heavy-handed to some viewers – particularly in America – while its abrupt resolution feels somewhat ill-explained and disappointing. Nevertheless, it is hard to knock down a film that provides as much food for thought and portrays its characters in such a plain and unforgiving light.
All things considered, does CACHÉ deserve to be seen or should it be decried as an all too dour condemnation? The decision is yours and yours alone but, if you pass up on it, you will have missed a slow-burning and captivating thriller about a man’s past and his unwelcoming future.
MBiS
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