Hidden (Cache)

Georges (Daniel Auteuil) and his wife Anne (Juliette Binoche) live happily with their twelve year-old son Pierrot in a pleasant Parisian suburb, until they begin receiving surveillance tapes of their own home, deposited on their doorstep. This deceptively simple set-up lays the groundwork for a film that is anything but simple from director Michael Haneke ('Funny Games', 'The Piano Teacher'). Combining long takes, and no music, with excellent performances, Haneke creates an air of tension that leads to some genuinely shocking moments, and crafts a film that, though demanding a lot from its audience, provides ample food for thought in return. Georges' pursuit of his stalker, and the resulting events, give Haneke room to ask questions about families, moral responsibility, conscience, and on a wider scale, modern French society and its dark history. With a conclusion as frustrating as it is thought-provoking, this is no easy watch, but nonetheless highly recommended. [Paul Gallagher]