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The White Ribbon
The White Ribbon Image
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Metascore
82 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 33 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 58 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Starring: Christian Friedel, Ernst Jacobi, Leonie Benesch
  • Summary: A village in Protestant northern Germany. 1913-1914. On the eve of World War I. The story of the children and teenagers of a choir run by the village schoolteacher, and their families: the baron, the steward, the pastor, the doctor, the midwife, the tenant farmers. Strange accidents occur and gradually take on the character of a punishment ritual. Who is behind it all? The village schoolteacher observes, investigates and little by little discovers the incredible truth. Are we being asked to consider whether these events heralded something that would explode years later with the rise of Nazi Germany? Did these events contain the germs of the tragedies that followed? (Sony Classics)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 33
  3. Negative: 1 out of 33
  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Peter Brunette
    100
    It's a superb cinematic work and an appropriately serious one, given its subject matter and its intentions.
  2. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Joe Neumaier
    60
    Haneke's superb cast provide beautifully measured hints at the disconnect between the ribbon's symbolism and the entire town's unspoken atrocities.
  3. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: David Edelstein
    30
    Chill to the core, Haneke presents human cruelty not to make us empathize with the victims or understand the oppressors but to rub our noses in the crimes of our species. He thinks he's held on to the subversive ideals of punk, but all I smell is skunk.

See all 33 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. kk10
    10
    an absolutely disturbing film and needs to be hailed as one of the best films of its decade. I've only watched two of Michael Haneke's films (the other being Cache) too realise that this man is a genius. it is a simple story, but to create that level of unease and uncertainty requires sheer craft. Great film.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. WhatsInnaName
    10
    One of the best films you will ever see. One word? Chilling. I found myself to be a different person when I left the cinema. It tells a dark tale of the human life and I could not shake the feeling that what is depicted in the film is less a fairy tale and more a picture of a reality that seems overcome, but is it really and truly?… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. smijatov
    5
    Unlike most people on here, I did not enjoy 'The White Ribbon.' It just did not get its message across, for me. Yes, the black and white cinematography was excellent and it definitely contributed to the general gloomy, dark feeling of the film, but cinematography alone cannot save the film. I found myself, quite often, being bored out of my wits because of the extremely slow pace of the film, and just being rather frustrated at the end, with the open-endedness of the whole picture. Also, I do not really see the connection between this story and the origins of National Socialism, but I guess maybe if I watched it again I could pick up on more things. Sadly, I just do not feel like wasting another 2 1/2 hours on this.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 13 User Reviews

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