Brilliant article from Sight & Sound

My immediate reaction after watching this film was “I want my two hours back”. There is very little payoff here if you are following the domestic narrative about which this film appears to be concerned. On top of that, many of the characters reactions and behaviors in this film seemed unbelievable. Who would watch a suicide before his eyes and offer no aid and not go for any sort of help? And who could be making these films? From those questions followed an hour and a half of good conversation about film, history, responsibility and the role of allegory. So touche, Cache, my time was not wasted after all.

This is a highly cerebral film that’s also very detached (you’re always watching the characters from a distance, there are no close ups of faces, there’s very little music on the background track, there are lots of slow - potentially boring - sequences in which nothing much happens). As a result you have to sort of enter the characters’ emotional lives intellectually, by choosing to consider their dilemmas rather than being pulled into them. It’s an interesting style decision. It worked for Ross, less so for me. But the performances are absolutely stellar—very naturalistic and subtle. Just lovely acting. Which is why I was perhaps even a bit more disappointed not to have been more drawn in by them.

If you get the DVD, watch the interview with Michael Haneke - he is very egoistic in a mild and amusing way. :)

This film really got under my skin… the suspense just cranks up and up.

Fascinating both as a political allegory as well as a domestic drama.

And the acting is superb.

This is a very tedious movie with little payoff. You’re forced to assume a lot since it’s not explained, and in the end, you just don’t care anymore. I understand the movie, I just don’t think it’s good. People don’t act this way. They don’t.