The White Ribbon

Synopsis

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 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? Acclaimed auteur Michael Haneke (Hidden, Funny Games) returns to his classic themes of guilt, denial and violence in this haunting and provocative feature which was awarded the Palme d'Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.