Cache (D or 1/4 stars)
Cache in French means 'hidden'; and I wish I'd never 'found' this movie in the 1st place. 'Cache' is a French political mystery written & directed by Michael Haneke. Georges (Daniel Auteuil) is a TV talk show host who receives a package containing videos of himself and his family. These videos are shot from across the street and they don't really reveal anything, or so it seems. Also in these packages are child-like drawings of a face that spews blood; how nice. It is almost pointless discussing the inane details of the plot because the movie fails to excite, ignite, or enrapture you with interest.
Over time, the tapes become more frequent & personal. Do Georges & his wife, Anne (Juliette Binoche) know the sender(s)? It doesn't seem to matter, and the police won't help the couple because no direct threat has been made. So they go along, trying to put the tapes behind them. They host a party; some laughs ensue. But various family members are feeling guilty about the situation at hand, including the 12 yr. old son, Pierrot (Lester Makedonsky). Tension is everywhere. Georges seems to think that a childhood acquaintance is the one sending the tapes. But why? Anne is beginning to not trust her secretive husband & may turn her interests to a male family friend. And Pierrot stays out with friends to avoid his imploding parents.
Who is sending the packages? What's the intent? What is Georges hiding from his past? But most importantly, who is sending these damn packages!? Guess what, we never find out. We can make assumptions and guesses; but then why even watch the movie in the first place? 'Cache' weaves a dense, thoughtful web, but fails to unweave it with any energy or resolution whatsoever. This movie doesn't entertain; it will probably infuriate you. The plot 'barely' matters to anyone who isn't French. After muddling through several theories, I have a firmer grasp on what occurred before my bleeding eyes, but I still don't care. Unlike Mulholland Drive (where the movie intrigues but, at first glance, you don't know what the Hell you just saw), I figure out a solution to this movie, but it still stinks.
Here's a sample of some scenes: A camera's eye rests on the front of a house. Some time passes, birds chirp, cars pass, a pedestrian walks, & you're slightly creeped out. You aren't creeped out 2 minutes later when the frame hasn't changed & nothing has gone on. Nor does the next connecting scene have anything to do with the previous. There are at least 5 or 6 other scenes (2-3 minutes long) with as much going on, and you're supposed to just accept it, get it, roll with it; I almost fell asleep (trying desperately to look for something that seems to want to jump out in front of me, and never does). And a scene near the end ... George enters a kitchen, takes some pills (is he committing suicide?), goes in the bedroom, closes the curtains, gets naked, slides into bed, & lays there in the dark.
This scene is probably 4-5 minutes long. Why? It reveals nothing. Why is it not 1 minute long? Do you know how long a minute is on-screen? Director Haneke is playing with us; trying to show something out of absolutely nothing. There is no payoff for incessantly, painfully paying attention to every minute detail of a screen capture. Nothing & everything is right in front of our face. Nothing becomes obvious to you, you've watched this movie for nothing.
The acting is passable, if not a tad melodramatic. The plot is tedious. A major theme of the film is 'guilt' and what it can do to a man, his family, & those who are 'perceived' enemies. I've seen films like this before (foreign & domestic) that involve political agendas, class structures, racial tensions, possible infidelities, etc. But everyone solved a mystery and/or crime of some sort; they'd entertain, they'd grip me. There is no explanation for what plays out by the end of 'Cache', no explanation of the tapes, no guess of what happens next with the family. 'Cache' bored me to the point where I was hoping for it to end soon so that I could at least realize what I've been watching. And when it does end, all I can say is "You've got to be kidding me".
Over time, the tapes become more frequent & personal. Do Georges & his wife, Anne (Juliette Binoche) know the sender(s)? It doesn't seem to matter, and the police won't help the couple because no direct threat has been made. So they go along, trying to put the tapes behind them. They host a party; some laughs ensue. But various family members are feeling guilty about the situation at hand, including the 12 yr. old son, Pierrot (Lester Makedonsky). Tension is everywhere. Georges seems to think that a childhood acquaintance is the one sending the tapes. But why? Anne is beginning to not trust her secretive husband & may turn her interests to a male family friend. And Pierrot stays out with friends to avoid his imploding parents.
Who is sending the packages? What's the intent? What is Georges hiding from his past? But most importantly, who is sending these damn packages!? Guess what, we never find out. We can make assumptions and guesses; but then why even watch the movie in the first place? 'Cache' weaves a dense, thoughtful web, but fails to unweave it with any energy or resolution whatsoever. This movie doesn't entertain; it will probably infuriate you. The plot 'barely' matters to anyone who isn't French. After muddling through several theories, I have a firmer grasp on what occurred before my bleeding eyes, but I still don't care. Unlike Mulholland Drive (where the movie intrigues but, at first glance, you don't know what the Hell you just saw), I figure out a solution to this movie, but it still stinks.
Here's a sample of some scenes: A camera's eye rests on the front of a house. Some time passes, birds chirp, cars pass, a pedestrian walks, & you're slightly creeped out. You aren't creeped out 2 minutes later when the frame hasn't changed & nothing has gone on. Nor does the next connecting scene have anything to do with the previous. There are at least 5 or 6 other scenes (2-3 minutes long) with as much going on, and you're supposed to just accept it, get it, roll with it; I almost fell asleep (trying desperately to look for something that seems to want to jump out in front of me, and never does). And a scene near the end ... George enters a kitchen, takes some pills (is he committing suicide?), goes in the bedroom, closes the curtains, gets naked, slides into bed, & lays there in the dark.
This scene is probably 4-5 minutes long. Why? It reveals nothing. Why is it not 1 minute long? Do you know how long a minute is on-screen? Director Haneke is playing with us; trying to show something out of absolutely nothing. There is no payoff for incessantly, painfully paying attention to every minute detail of a screen capture. Nothing & everything is right in front of our face. Nothing becomes obvious to you, you've watched this movie for nothing.
The acting is passable, if not a tad melodramatic. The plot is tedious. A major theme of the film is 'guilt' and what it can do to a man, his family, & those who are 'perceived' enemies. I've seen films like this before (foreign & domestic) that involve political agendas, class structures, racial tensions, possible infidelities, etc. But everyone solved a mystery and/or crime of some sort; they'd entertain, they'd grip me. There is no explanation for what plays out by the end of 'Cache', no explanation of the tapes, no guess of what happens next with the family. 'Cache' bored me to the point where I was hoping for it to end soon so that I could at least realize what I've been watching. And when it does end, all I can say is "You've got to be kidding me".