White Ribbon, The (in German)
Rating = B
This is an interesting film
which moves with deliberate slowness. It is a story about a small town in Germany before WWI, where
we see economic oppression, religious fundamentalism, and authoritarian male heads of
large families. All this involves great cruelty, and it appears the children of the
village have learned lessons their lessons and are practicing cruelty themselves on
anyone who is not one of them — not one of the locals. Also,
the writer and director may be suggesting that the culture is preparing future generations
to be receptive to the nationalistic cruelties Germany practiced in WWII.
Most of the real reviewers give this film four stars, commenting on the brilliance of the
film making. It does seem well done. There is plenty of ambiguity, but in this case
there are a little too many unanswered questions for my taste.
[2010-03-27, Cape Cinema, Dennis, MA]