Haneke

1269 Words3 Pages

There is a scene in the movie, The Piano Teacher, in which the main character, Erika Kohut, is punched in the face by a young man who has been attempting to pursue a romantic relationship with her. He then forces her to the ground and rapes her. However, the rape does not occur on screen, the only thing you see is Erika’s face while the young man is forcing himself on her. This scene in the movie is meant to make the audience react and it accomplishes this simple goal. This is what Michael Haneke does with every film he makes. Haneke is a director who understands that good cinema doesn’t mean that the movie goer will always leave happy. He is an artist that doesn’t want to shove happiness and rainbows down an audience’s throat. Haneke is particularly critical of moviegoers in America and the way in which they expect to be handed a happy movie. Through his movies, Haneke’s goal is to make an audience think differently about the world they live in. In order to believe this and accept the idea that good films don’t have to make an audience happy, we need to understand the approach that Michael Haneke takes to filmmaking. We have come a long way from when movies were considered nothing more than a business and Michael Haneke seeks to prove that films should be considered pieces of art. Haneke states, “The same is true in any form of artistic production. I’m trying to not merely make a living as a filmmaker, but am attempting to make a contribution to that artistic tradition.” (Porton 51). Like all other forms of art, Haneke’s movies are not merely something that an audience should see but rather something that an audience should experience and contemplate. In this regard, Haneke’s films evoke an intense emotional response and make an “experience” out of every film he makes. There is not a single film in which the audience leaves a Michael Haneke movie feeling happy.

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