The White Ribbon

Name: The White Ribbon
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Crime
Released: December 30, 2009
Duration: 144 min
Rating: 84
Cast: Christian Friedel, Ernst Jacobi, Leonie Benesch

2009

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 34 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 138 Ratings

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7.9

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7.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 138 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: December 30, 2009 | R

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 punishmentA 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

Director: Michael Haneke

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 144 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Richard Corliss

A kind of mashup of "Our Town" and "Village of the Damned," the film is both draining and enthralling. Read full review

100

Mick LaSalle

What makes The White Ribbon a big movie, an important movie, is that Haneke's point extends beyond pre-Nazi Germany. Read full review

100

Andrew O'Hehir

Shot in spectacular black-and-white by cinematographer Christian Berger, and marvelously acted by a first-rate German ensemble, The White Ribbon captures a mood of thickening tension and mounting violence. Read full review

Roger Moore

Haneke tells this tale a bit too patiently for my taste. But the metaphors are unmistakable, as is the power of the film’s message. Read full review

Bill Goodykoontz

Slow, stark and sometimes surreptitiously beautiful, Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon is as cold and clinical an examination of evil as you could imagine. Read full review

Mike Scott

The film is chilled by characters that never really come alive or generate any deep sympathy. Read full review

David Edelstein

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. Read full review

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User Reviews

MattBrady99

Mar 14, 2017

I'm dumbfounded.

Seriously, this took a long time to fully appreciate. Not like a day or so, but almost two weeks. I guess I got so wrapped up in it's mystery that I couldn't get a word out. A film that explores depression, cruelty, and life's biggest mysteries. What we see is a mixture ofI'm dumbfounded.

Seriously, this took a long time to fully appreciate. Not like a day or so, but almost two weeks. I guess I got so wrapped up in it's mystery that I couldn't get a word out. A film that explores depression, cruelty, and life's biggest mysteries. What we see is a mixture of the truth, lies or rumors. It ends on a cold note with nothing ever answered, and these nothing quite like it.

"The White Ribbon" is another masterpiece from the brilliant Michael Haneke. The grim atmosphere and the re-creation of the time period is it's own achievement. Haneke is the best living film making of this decade. He's one of the few filmmakers right now that creates such compelling stories and questions with no answers, but questions that many will be thinking long after it's over.

The performances from the children was both fantastic and natural. The childlike behavior and the little innocence felt real. And for someone who's a sucker for amazing cinematography, this movie has it. Every singe shot is framed so perfectly that you could easily take any shot from the film and make it as the poster.

This is one of those movies that you can find something new with repeat viewings. With such a powerful narrative that excels all my expectations.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

WhatsInnaName

Jan 1, 2011

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 thatOne 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

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

ryancarroll88

Aug 26, 2010

The movie is nothing more than a dark tale of metaphors and anti-humanism. Set in a small pre-World War I village in Germany, Haneke unravels schemes that he uses to signify the rise of fascism by the need for control - no characters are left without faults, and the more that is revealed,The movie is nothing more than a dark tale of metaphors and anti-humanism. Set in a small pre-World War I village in Germany, Haneke unravels schemes that he uses to signify the rise of fascism by the need for control - no characters are left without faults, and the more that is revealed, the more we realize that the village will inevitably spiral into chaos. The plot itself is provoking, but the movie would be nothing without Haneke's methodical direction, weaving bleakness with uncertainty and paranoia in a way that is sure to gnaw at your soul.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

BLAIRD

Jan 10, 2010

stunning, original movie. I am still thinking about it which is more than i can say about many of the big Holliwood movies I have seen lately.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

gracjanski

Apr 10, 2021

The first 40 minutes are very boring: The story is still not clear, the behaviour between the characters is stiff, serious, cold and rough. After that the movie becomes much more interesting and you finally get the story. Also the movie gives a great insight into the german life from 1914.The first 40 minutes are very boring: The story is still not clear, the behaviour between the characters is stiff, serious, cold and rough. After that the movie becomes much more interesting and you finally get the story. Also the movie gives a great insight into the german life from 1914. The ending is not so satisfying, because it is not so clear, so you need to think what was this movie about.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

seancriswell

Mar 25, 2013

The story of a small village in Germany right before World War I. The White Ribbon is an emotional experience but not of the feel good sort. This film does not really have a central character, and only two characters that we can root for. While most movies with bleak story lines try to moveThe story of a small village in Germany right before World War I. The White Ribbon is an emotional experience but not of the feel good sort. This film does not really have a central character, and only two characters that we can root for. While most movies with bleak story lines try to move our emotions from dark to light, Haneke takes the opposite approach. While the mood is never light, it still manages to become harsher and darker as the story progresses.

Someone seems to be targeting the citizens of this small village. A handful of them are brutally injured at separate times and with no witnesses. As the search towards finding the culprit takes place we get to know many of the folks in the village. The teacher in the village is the one character that we can have a positive response to and he is also the narrator of the story. So we learn what is happening as he does. The women and children in this story are more seen than heard and that is the way that the men of the village want it. We see the harsh treatment of them throughout the film and it is hard not to have a visceral response to the abuse they are subjected to.

This film thrives under Haneke's hand. Everything that is great about it is owed to him. The pace is slow and steady, so the viewers response grows with the film. Each shot is beautifully framed, the black and white setting is brilliant for this story. The dialogue is sharp and ambiguous. This is the type of film that I will not be in a hurry to revisit. However I am glad I did once and it will stick with me for a long time.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Broyax

May 27, 2020

Oh attention, c'est une palme d'or ce truc-là ! et c'est du gros film d'auteur de merde qui se regarde le nombril tout en comptant les mangeboules qui viennent lui manger dans la main et lui manger les... oui, c'est dire s'il est sûr de lui l'empaffé, à la manière sans doute d'un Godard ouOh attention, c'est une palme d'or ce truc-là ! et c'est du gros film d'auteur de merde qui se regarde le nombril tout en comptant les mangeboules qui viennent lui manger dans la main et lui manger les... oui, c'est dire s'il est sûr de lui l'empaffé, à la manière sans doute d'un Godard ou de tous ces autres connards qui prétendent faire du "cinéma"... au delà du delà, des trucs, des bidules "auteuristes" (?) et qui sont au cinoche ce que l'art moderne est... à l'Art : un tas de fumier et d'étrons.

Donc, évidemment, c'est en noir et blanc, c'est sans queue ni tête, sans direction et çe ne va nulle part... c'est lent mais d'une lenteur qui semble s'être arrêtée pendant que les pauvres comédiens viennent raconter n'importe quoi devant la caméra ; on cherche une vague cohérence à ce merdier qui paraît sans fin, un but éventuel mais en vain : ça n'a pas de but autre que de vous abrutir ! du remplissage interminable et résoluement minable pendant deux plombes et quart (!)... putain mais quelle chiasse !

Même en accélérant à fond, ça ne voulait pas se terminer comme si la télé était habitée, contaminée par la vacuité de l'insondable ennui de l'infâme étron démoulé par le trou de balle Haneke ! j'ai cru un instant qu'il faudrait appeler un exorciseur pour exorciser le Malin qui était entré dedans ! non, mais ça va mieux, c'était juste une chiasse audio-visuelle, une daubasse de l'asile de Cannes.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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