CODE UNKNOWN is not my favorite of Haneke's films, but it is another well-made and interesting study. Dealing with topics that Haneke often tackles, such as relationships, socio-political relations, apathy, remorse, love, hate, prejudice, etc...CODE UNKNOWN is a semi-coherent film about a few individuals and their lives, related from a chance encounter...
Jean is a teenager who leaves his father's farm and comes to Paris to visit his brother. His brother is a photographer who is in Kosovo filming war-material - and a random act on Jean's behalf (throwing a piece of trash on a beggar) sets off a chain-reaction that gives the audience a glimpse (often through short, sometimes unintelligible clips) into everyone affected by the incident...
CODE UNKNOWN is not an "open-and-shut" sort of film, rather - it's a somewhat clinical look into several people's/families lives. Filmed in the "cold" style that Haneke is so well-known for, the audience is merely observers to the the happenings of the subjects in the film - and in the end, there's no real resolution or explanation. That annoys me about some of Haneke's films, but it tends to work in this one. Fans of his other films should check this out, if you've never seen anything of his before, I'd suggest perhaps FUNNY GAMES or BENNY'S VIDEO first, as they tend to be a bit more "straight-foward" and will prepare you for Haneke's unique style...7/10 for CODE UNKNOWN
Jean is a teenager who leaves his father's farm and comes to Paris to visit his brother. His brother is a photographer who is in Kosovo filming war-material - and a random act on Jean's behalf (throwing a piece of trash on a beggar) sets off a chain-reaction that gives the audience a glimpse (often through short, sometimes unintelligible clips) into everyone affected by the incident...
CODE UNKNOWN is not an "open-and-shut" sort of film, rather - it's a somewhat clinical look into several people's/families lives. Filmed in the "cold" style that Haneke is so well-known for, the audience is merely observers to the the happenings of the subjects in the film - and in the end, there's no real resolution or explanation. That annoys me about some of Haneke's films, but it tends to work in this one. Fans of his other films should check this out, if you've never seen anything of his before, I'd suggest perhaps FUNNY GAMES or BENNY'S VIDEO first, as they tend to be a bit more "straight-foward" and will prepare you for Haneke's unique style...7/10 for CODE UNKNOWN