Le temps du loup (Time of the Wolf)
2003
**
Director: Michael Haneke
Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Béatrice Dalle, Patrice Chéreau, Rona Hartner, Lucas Biscombe, Anais Demoustier, Hakim Taleb
The end of the world according to Michael Haneke. An unexplained disaster has contaminated the drinking water and the livestock in France (and perhaps across the world), and a Parisian family are forced to roam the countryside in search of food and shelter when their car, country cottage and last provisions are taken by force. The film starts with two very powerful scenes: first the father is shot dead with shocking abruptness, then the son gets lost in the night. When the remaining family members find fellow survivors who reside in an empty warehouse and wait for a train that may or may not come, the drama comes to a standstill. Haneke attempts to tackle the big moral, ethical and philosophical questions and loses all interest in the characters. After the dull final hour, the last mysterious shot left me indifferent rather than intrigued.
