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d’Or winner of the Cannes Film Festival raises intriguing questions that will linger long after the lights come up. Nothing is black and white but the color of the film. Rated: R for some disturbing content involving violence and sexuality. In German, Italian, Polish and Latin with English subtitles. 2 hours, 24 minutes. — Susan Tavernetti
Edge of Darkness --Roxane Duran as Anna, the doctor’s daughter, in “The White Ribbon.�
The White Ribbon (Das weisse Band) ----
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Openings For a review of the romantic comedy “When in Romeâ€? — which critic Peter Canavese gave half a star — go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com/ movies. Page 32ĂŠUĂŠ >Â˜Ă•>ÀÞÊә]ÊÓä£äÊUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?Ăž
(Aquarius) Malicious incidents occur in a small northern German village before the outbreak of World War I. A deliberately placed tripwire causes a doctor on horseback to take a terrible tumble. The wife of a tenant farmer falls through the floorboards of the sawmill where she works. The baron’s young son, kidnapped and tortured, barely survives. Another child is beaten until almost blind. A barn goes up in flames. Who does things like that? The narrator of Michael Haneke’s disturbing meditation on the spiritual, moral and economic climate of this seeming Village of the Damned asks that question. So will you. Although the mystery framework — with its intrinsic promise of providing an answer — arouses curiosity, Haneke (“The Piano Teacher,â€? “Funny Games,â€? “CachĂŠâ€?) never fulfills audience expectations. The German-born and Austrian-raised director has a more ambitious goal: to invite reflection. Haneke shows but never tells. Darkness lurks in the corners of his film frame, and narrative ambiguity leaves room for interpretation. To encourage the viewer to think rather than respond emotionally to his work, Haneke uses Brechtian distancing devices: the disembodied voice of the elderly narrator (Ernst Jacobi), once the village schoolteacher; unsympathetic characters; cinematographer Christian Berger’s crisp black-and-white images that never depict the past in nostalgic soft focus; puzzling acts of cruelty that may or may not clarify such subsequent developments as National Socialism in Hitler’s Germany or any authoritarian system that engenders terrorist acts today. You fill in the blanks. For generations, the rural and remote village has operated as a patriarchal system with a ruling class. The wealthy baron (Ulrich Tukur) owns the land, and his economic sanctions and poor working conditions are now causing grumbles among the tenant farmers and foreign harvesters. Those under his hire, such as the steward (Josef Bierbichler) and the school teacher (Christian Friedel in a marvelous performance), carry out the master’s bidding. But even the baron’s wife (Ursina Lardi) can barely tolerate a life of captivity in this microcosm of the German Empire and Fatherland. Moral authority comes in the form of a respected pastor (Burghart KlauĂ&#x;ner) who whips his sinful children behind beautifully stenciled closed doors. He and his wife (Steffi KĂźhnert) tie white ribbons, symbolic of innocence and purity, around the children’s arms to remind them to be good. The doctor (Rainer Bock) and his relationship with the local midwife (Susanne Lothar) reveal more layers of cruelty and hypocrisy. Violence breeds mistrust and fear — and increasingly repressive rule. What turns an ideal into ideology? With the painterly look and understated eloquence of a Bresson or Bergman classic, this year’s Palme
(Century 16, Century 20) It has been eight long years since Mel Gibson headlined a feature film (“Signs� in 2002). In the interim, Gibson has been surrounded more by controversy than co-stars. His directorial effort on “The Passion of the Christ� revealed an almost unsettling religious fervor, while an offscreen roadside rant riddled with four-letter words (and anti-Semitic overtones) all but devastated his reputation. Gibson the man still has some work to do. Gibson the actor, however, is back and better than ever. His latest film is a gripping thriller reminiscent of Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning “The Departed,� and Gibson serves up a ferocious performance. As Boston detective Thomas Craven — a determined dad seeking vengeance for the murder of his only child — Gibson is simultaneously vulnerable and relentless. His emotionally driven portrayal helps steer viewers past the white-water ripples of a convoluted plot. The violent shooting death of Craven’s 24-year-old daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic of “Drag Me to Hell�) ignites the story. Resolute and eager for answers, Craven begins questioning those who knew her best, often using brutal techniques to withdraw the truth. Craven’s prodding eventually leads to Emma’s clandestine work at a weapons-manufacturing corporation and its seedy president, Jack Bennett (Danny Huston of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine�). As Craven gets closer to discovering the real reason behind Emma’s death, he develops a surprising mutual respect with British-born “problem solver� Darius Jedburgh (Ray Winstone of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull�) while poisonous adversaries and government conspiracies surround him. Director Martin Campbell (“Casino Royale�) does an excellent job underscoring the relationship between Craven and his daughter. After her death, Craven continues to hear whispers of his daughter’s voice and see fleeting visions of her as a child. One fantastic scene has Craven shaving, his precocious daughter using a comb to shave beside him, giggling joyously. The father-daughter moments — despite being dreamlike memories — are genuine and heartfelt. But the complicated storyline becomes hard to follow, as is often the case when shadowy government agents and unrealistic double-crosses surface. Winstone’s role is also never fully explored, making his character more confusing than compelling, though the charismatic actor still brings a tough-guy swagger to the film. Tense, visceral and well-directed, Gibson’s return to the big screen will take you right to the edge. Rated R for strong bloody violence and language. 1 hour, 48 minutes. — Tyler Hanley To view the trailers for “The White Ribbon,� “Edge of Darkness and “When in Rome,� go to Palo Alto Online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com