The White Ribbon

Dir. Michael Haneke
Starring: Christian Friedel, Leonie Benesch, Ulrich Tukur, Ursina Lardi, Burghart Klaussner
Germany / Austria / France / Italy, 2009, 144 mins.

Themes of morality are explored in Michael Haneke’s new film, The White Ribbon.

The film is set in a small, northern village in Germany, a year before the start of WWI. As the story unfolds, the school teacher recounts the strange series of events and accidents that strike the people living in the village. First, the doctor is catapulted off his horse in a mysterious riding accident. Later, two young boys are found badly beaten. An entire crop of cabbage is hacked and ruined. In contrast to the “evil” incidents plaguing the village, the children are made to wear white ribbons over their mostly somber-colored clothes to remind them of their purity.

The White Ribbon is quiet and serious, shot in black and white, some scenes without any dialogue at all. The performances by the adult and many child actors are impeccable and intense. What I liked best about the film was the way a seemingly-simple narrative unfolded so delicately and intricately. From the moment the film opened, The White Ribbon had the audience holding their breath, taking in every quiet, subtle detail the film had to offer. The White Ribbon was awarded the 2009 Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Dir. Terry Gilliam
Starring: Christopher Plummer, Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Collin Farrell, Tom Waits
Canada/U.K., 2009, 122 mins.

Both screenings of this highly-anticipated film were sold out well before their screening dates as it seemed that everyone was intrigued by Heath Ledger’s final swan song. However, the aforementioned actor did not make his appearance in the film for the first 30 minutes.

The story opens with Doctor Parnassus (skillfully portrayed by Christopher Plummer) and his daughter (played delightfully by acting newcomer and international supermodel Lily Cole) traveling in a horse-drawn caravan with a band of misfits. This group, in fact, stops occasionally and sets up their “show” entitled “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.” The show allows its audience members to go through a “magic mirror,” entering their own dreams and wildest imaginations.

When we first meet Ledger, he is dangling off a bridge to his death. Once revived, he joins the traveling circus and takes a role in the show. The rest of the film takes its audience, in true Terry Gillam style, through surrealist twist and turns, filmed in both London, England and Vancouver, Canada.

If the all-star cast was not enough to attract you, the special affects should be. Not only does Ledger sensibly morph into the likes of Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Collin Farrell, thanks to skillful editors, but the candy-colored, absurdist “imagination” scenes provide much contrast to the dreary, dimply-lit streets of London.

The Oscar buzz surrounding this film is already deafening and deserving of the major box office price when it hits theaters later this year.