Caché
Shii, there are 11 film reviews I have to write and a wonderful e-mail of yours which I want to respond to. What to do first? I tend to want to get over with the less pleasant things first, and ironically, “Caché” is one of your films. You recommended it to me so many years ago (and hey, I still have not seen the last few films on your 30 movies list!) and I finally saw it. Now I’m listening to “I Follow Rivers” while writing a review. Isn’t that perfect?
The main reason why I put off watching “Caché” is because the internet is having super long discussions about it. It kept me away from “Inland Empire” and I just generally have an aversion against overly confusing movies. Surprisingly, “Caché” was absolutely not confusing at all! Even though I missed the end and had to look up what it was all about, I had my suspicions which were only confirmed by the detail at the end. With this fairly simple interpretation, the film’s core ideas are actually very clear. It’s unfortunate that it had to be an Austrian (as opposed to a French director) who made the most impressive movie on French colonialism in Algeria, even though it approaches its subject from the most indirect way possible, by depicting and criticizing how contemporary France deals with its past.
It seems like “Caché” is a film that people either love or hate, how typical for Haneke. Either you like the background and the message this film brings forth, or you find everything utterly boring. Even though the film itself does a great job at portraying the horror of the main characters when their life is turned upside down by the simple fact that someone is taking videos of them all the time, the colonial theme is a powerful backdrop and you have to either love or hate that, I suppose. Personally, I think the naysayers don’t realize what a taboo “Caché” is tapping into in France which only now is slowly starting to recognize its past. This is an important topic and, most importantly, “Caché” is a film which has artistical merits besides its political message. It also has another dimension: How do you deal with the wrongdoings of your early childhood? Japanese media is full of examples of children who committed some of the most atrocious crimes yet are innocent from a legal standpoint. “Caché” is similar, it’s about conscience rather than culpability, a difference which I find fascinating.
I suspect that “Caché” may be Haneke’s best film, though personally I preferred “Das weiße Band” and I am very curious about “Amour”. In any case, “Caché” is a must-see and I can’t believe it took me so long.