This story begins and ends with a group of children that appear to be deaf mutes. They are playing a game of charades, the object being to identify what one little girl has play acted for her friends. It is this clue that serves to understand what Michael Haneke, the director wanted to tell his audience: non communication, which it the most evident theme running through the film "Code Inconnu"
The story changes to a Parisian street where Anne Laurent, an actress, is seen walking toward the theater where she is appearing. Jean, a young man that happens to be her lover's brother, meets Anne. He has come from the farm where he lives to try to make it in Paris. She is not too happy, but gives him the code to punch to enter the building where she and George, her photographer boyfriend share an apartment.
Jean, walking back to Anne's place, eating a pastry she bought for him at a shop she passes. Not in a hurry to go to the apartment, he crumples the paper bag and throws it at a beggar, a woman who has been sitting on the sidewalk outside the bakery. A black youth, Amadou, appears out of nowhere, he has seen Jean's action and he wants the careless teen to apologize. The situation gets out of hand, calling the attention of the police, who seize Amadou and take away the beggar.
It is clear that all these incidents are connected somehow, but as we watch the action unfold, it is hard to grasp how the different pieces fit the story, which seems to be why most comments submitted to this forum have a baffling effect on most contributors. Granted, Michael Haneke does not care to elaborate much on his plots, but give the man the benefit of the doubt and indulge him as he paints his intricate canvas.
Anne, is working on a Parisian theater on a production of "Twelfth Night", while working on a film as well. There is a terror filled scene where Anne is seen in a dark room where she is asked to react to the fact she is about to die. Her face registers the anxiety and horror of what is going to happen to her. The relationship with Georges is not all as good as one might think. Their quarrel in the supermarket as they shop ends happily.
Georges, a photographer, who has been involved in the war in Kossovo, has a project in which he goes into the metro photographing people, that seem to rile a few. Anne also has a terrifying moment as she rides the underground and is assaulted verbally by two Arab young men. She moves away to another section of the car, only to be followed by the teens. Only an older gentleman stands up to shame the hooligans away.
The effect on Amadou's arrest is painful for his parents. Especially his mother, who has experienced some kind of ethnic discrimination in her adopted country. The beggar, Irina, is finally deported to her native Romania. Her life in her native country shows a poor, but better life than the mean streets in Paris, where she has experienced the hatred from even those well meaning citizens that will give her money.
Having seen most of Michael Haneke's films, we had not seen "Code Inconnu" as it did not have a long run in New York. Catching it the other night on a cable channel, it was a surprise. In spite of the multiple narratives, it all makes sense when analyzed as a whole. The lack of communication among human beings makes an interesting concept become a more tangible reality.
Juliette Binoche, as she proved with her work in "Cache", is a natural for working with the director. She gives a sensitive portrayal of the actress in the center of the story. Thierry Neuvic, who plays Georges has some good moments. The supporting cast is basically unknown to us, but one must single out Ona Lu Yenke and Maimuna Helene Diarra for their contributions.
The story changes to a Parisian street where Anne Laurent, an actress, is seen walking toward the theater where she is appearing. Jean, a young man that happens to be her lover's brother, meets Anne. He has come from the farm where he lives to try to make it in Paris. She is not too happy, but gives him the code to punch to enter the building where she and George, her photographer boyfriend share an apartment.
Jean, walking back to Anne's place, eating a pastry she bought for him at a shop she passes. Not in a hurry to go to the apartment, he crumples the paper bag and throws it at a beggar, a woman who has been sitting on the sidewalk outside the bakery. A black youth, Amadou, appears out of nowhere, he has seen Jean's action and he wants the careless teen to apologize. The situation gets out of hand, calling the attention of the police, who seize Amadou and take away the beggar.
It is clear that all these incidents are connected somehow, but as we watch the action unfold, it is hard to grasp how the different pieces fit the story, which seems to be why most comments submitted to this forum have a baffling effect on most contributors. Granted, Michael Haneke does not care to elaborate much on his plots, but give the man the benefit of the doubt and indulge him as he paints his intricate canvas.
Anne, is working on a Parisian theater on a production of "Twelfth Night", while working on a film as well. There is a terror filled scene where Anne is seen in a dark room where she is asked to react to the fact she is about to die. Her face registers the anxiety and horror of what is going to happen to her. The relationship with Georges is not all as good as one might think. Their quarrel in the supermarket as they shop ends happily.
Georges, a photographer, who has been involved in the war in Kossovo, has a project in which he goes into the metro photographing people, that seem to rile a few. Anne also has a terrifying moment as she rides the underground and is assaulted verbally by two Arab young men. She moves away to another section of the car, only to be followed by the teens. Only an older gentleman stands up to shame the hooligans away.
The effect on Amadou's arrest is painful for his parents. Especially his mother, who has experienced some kind of ethnic discrimination in her adopted country. The beggar, Irina, is finally deported to her native Romania. Her life in her native country shows a poor, but better life than the mean streets in Paris, where she has experienced the hatred from even those well meaning citizens that will give her money.
Having seen most of Michael Haneke's films, we had not seen "Code Inconnu" as it did not have a long run in New York. Catching it the other night on a cable channel, it was a surprise. In spite of the multiple narratives, it all makes sense when analyzed as a whole. The lack of communication among human beings makes an interesting concept become a more tangible reality.
Juliette Binoche, as she proved with her work in "Cache", is a natural for working with the director. She gives a sensitive portrayal of the actress in the center of the story. Thierry Neuvic, who plays Georges has some good moments. The supporting cast is basically unknown to us, but one must single out Ona Lu Yenke and Maimuna Helene Diarra for their contributions.