The film opens with quite an unusual director's speech that invites us to consider what we are going to see as a pamphlet on our society rather than a work of art. So I did - and perhaps this is why the film left me slightly disappointed. As a work of visual art, it is superb, mesmerising and innovative, with little pieces of animation sandwiched between much larger parts played by actors. As far as the message is concerned, however, I was expecting more. Fair enough, the plot itself is quite perplexed and some of its turns will remain a puzzle even by the end of the film. But I kept thinking that if Haneke or, better still, Kieslowski were directing this film, the story would gain that subtlety and depth it was lacking.
