Review of Benny's Video (1992) by Thomas M — 13 Dec 2009

The film-within-a-film technique that Haneke has become famous for utilising to awesome effect in later works first reared its head to great effect in this, his second feature length work.

Whereas Haneke's previous film, The Seventh Continent, built up slowly, Benny's Video opens with a visually and aurally brutal scene of a pig being slaughtered, before rewinding and forcing us to watch it all again in horrendousy slow motion. This is just one example of why many people believe Haneke detests his own audience; that he is punishing them for sitting and watching, for not turning it off in the first five minutes, for legitimising it. But that's just the start; there's so much more to come, so much more to think about.

A criticism often levelled at Haneke is that his work is cold. Well, this is positively ice cold, but that's really not a bad thing here. A fierce critique on popular cinema, the artistic techniques on display invoke Brecht's alienation technique whilst critiquing mainstream film for its role in dehumanising the individual in contemporary society. It's challenging, it's thought-provoking, and along with The Seventh Continent, it's an excellent introduction to the wonderful world of Hanekeian cinema.