“Film is 24 lies per second at the service of truth, or at the service of the attempt to find the truth,” – Michael Haneke
Join us in the celebration and discussion of Michael Haneke’s filmography. Curzon Film and Triskel Arts Centre presents an eight-film retrospective of Haneke’s films, the first four (CODE UNKNOWN, the original FUNNY GAMES, TIME OF THE WOLF and THE PIANO TEACHER) will be screened from Sun 29 June – Wed 2 July, while the second four (AMOUR, BENNY’S VIDEO, HAPPY END and HIDDEN) will be shown from Sun 27 – 30 July.
29 June Code Unknown (NC): Haneke’s ambitious, complex and powerful CODE UNKNOWN is a fascinating study of the subtle connections and barriers between people, class, race and the difficulty of communicating in the modern world. On a bustling street in Paris, a young man disdainfully throws a crumpled paper bag into the open hands of a beggar woman, setting in motion a series of events that connects the main protagonists; actress Anne (Juliette Binoche); her war photographer boyfriend Georges; his farmer father and younger brother Jean, who, contrary to his father’s wishes, has no interest in inheriting the farm; Amandou, a music teacher for deaf-mute children; and his family who originate from Africa; and Romanian immigrant Maria.
30 June Funny Games (NC): What is our obsession with screen violence? It’s a question Michael Haneke explores with surgical scrutiny in this chilling drama. A family drive to their lake house, and soon after they arrive, two teenage boys come calling. They seem innocent initially, but violence arises when they meet resistance upon trying to gain entry to the home. Through the boys, Haneke once again tears apart the fabric of middle-class life, employing shock and satire in equal measure. Haneke has no interest in further indulging a taste for screen violence – most of the action unfolds off screen. We only hear what happens. As with his previous film BENNY’S VIDEO, Haneke asks what impact screen violence must have on society. There are no easy answers, but there’s no denying the power of Haneke’s film.
1 July Time of the Wolf (NC): Set in France at an undisclosed time, the plot follows the story of a family: Georges (Daniel Duval), Anne (Isabelle Huppert), and their two children, Eva (Anaïs Demoustier) and Ben (Lucas Biscombe) who flee Paris following a mysterious disaster, only to find their country home is occupied by strangers. The film also stars Olivier Gourmet and Serge Riaboukine.
2 July The Piano Teacher (NC): Isabelle Huppert gives a performance of astounding emotional intensity as Erika Kohut, a repressed middle-aged woman who teaches piano at the Vienna Conservatory. When one of Erika’s students, the handsome and assured Walter Klemmer, attempts to seduce her, the barriers that she has carefully erected around her claustrophobic world are shattered – unleashing a previously inhibited extreme and uncontrollable desire.
All films have an (NC) rating. Films marked “NC” (Not Certified) have not been granted certification by the Irish Film Classification Office. Ticket buyers must be 18 years of age or older and they require a Triskel Cinema Membership, which may be purchased on an annual or per film basis.
