The White Ribbon

Michael Haneke's Cannes prizewinner, set in a pre-WW1 German village, explores the oppressively strict social conditions that gave rise to Nazism

Chronicling – subtly and without sensationalism – a series of acts of appalling cruelty perpetrated in a German village prior to World War One, Michael Haneke's Cannes prizewinner is an incisive study of the oppressively strict social conditions that would give rise to National Socialism. Superb casting, magnificent black and white camerawork and a brilliant script make for a masterpiece