The White Ribbon

The White Ribbon follows the children in a small German country town just prior to the beginning of WWI. Director Michael Haneke has said that he wanted to focus on the childhood of those who would grow up to become Nazi’s, and explore factors that may precondition people to adhere to extreme ideologies. The world that he presents is visually idyllic but subject to strict hierarchy, with children effectively powerless and subject to the extreme discipline  and minimal affection of their parents. The film’s narrator is an old man reflecting on his youthful experiences as a schoolteacher, and the series of disturbing events that upset the town.

This film has the look of archival footage; in cool black and white, with slightly wobbly handheld camera and occasional fuzz and crackle. The scenes are of neat ordered farmland, geometrically precise rows of cabbages, bucolic wheatfields and tracks through tidy woods. The inhabitants match their environment, either salt of the earth labourers or austere middle class families. The children in particular are unnaturally reserved, with impeccably braided hair and serious expressions. The director deliberately chose child actors that had the look of photographs from the era, and they run the gamut of angelic to odd. Beyond this evocation of a bygone era there is a real sense of unease, of something lurking beyond view. This is enhanced by shots where we can’t quite see what is going on, where the camera holds back from full view.

The teacher recounts the series of ‘accidents’ that befell the town, which start to take the shape of a punishment ritual. As these unfold we become privy to the secrets of the town and start to see potential motives, and identify those capable of such acts. But nothing is clear and the director does not give us easy answers or neat endings.

The White Ribbon has a real sense of menace, and there is constant tension as we wait for all the repressed impulses to explode into violence. There are horrors, but also innocuous scenes that are made nerve-wracking by what we fear might happen. The ‘accidents’ are echoed in scenes of sanctioned violence as children are disciplined and casual cruelty towards the powerless. The relationship between the teacher and Eva is one where we can see genuine affection, despite their painfully awkward interactions, but expressions of love in the rest of the film are minimal. This is a dark, thought-provoking film which looks beautiful and leaves you disturbed.