Review of Code Unknown (2000) by Nathan B — 29 Apr 2008

It's ironic, the lack of formal resolutions and structures are simultaneously the films strongest and weakest points. A series of vignette like scenes are woven together to create an intriguing portrait of modern life and it's disassociations, fragmentations and ... stuff.

What I found interesting were it's similarities with Babel, and this came sixish years earlier.

Deaf-mutes, ensemble cast struggling with communication, and event linking the characters, dowdy immigrant woman with an unfortunate plight (really well acted role though, in both films) and even more unflattering costuming...

This seems less grandiose though, and is far more successful because of it's less is more approach -it doesn't appear dogmatic, rather clinical and disaffected instead.

Haneke is wearing thin in some regards though. It's easy to mistake his understatedness for laziness or a lack of showmanship. He is incapable of illiciting an emotional investment in his characterisations, but the man certainly knows how to rack tension and unease for the spectator.

As a director who uses cinema as a provocation of the viewers understanding of the mediums convention and their expectations of the format he is probably unparalleled by any contemporary. His movies certainly engage you intellectually, the only problem is that sometimes you're all too aware you're engaging in an exercise.