Das weiße Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte 2009

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: Haneke tells this tale a bit too patiently for my taste. But the metaphors are unmistakable, as is the power of the film's message. Read more

A.O. Scott, At the Movies: I don't question Haneke's craft: it's his ideas that get under my skin. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Watching the daisy chain of events is akin to auditing a seminar on incipient fascism taught by a master filmmaker who speaks in a steely murmur, confident of his research. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: Haneke has dramatized his intellectual conceits in an uninvolving, snail-paced movie that illustrates its themes in an obvious, almost banal manner. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: The movie will haunt you for days. Read more

David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: Haneke doesn't deign to deliver the genre goods-resolution, catharsis, etc. That way he can crudely spell out his themes and yet still give the bourgeois audience the finger. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: A severe and eerily beautiful German-language drama by Michael Haneke... Read more

Keith Phipps, AV Club: Shot with dry discipline in striking black and white, the deliberately paced, consistently unnerving film invites viewers into every corner of its town, from its stately manor to its humblest abode, finding in each an air of unease and discontentment. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: The ends remain loose in The White Ribbon. But that lack of closure is thrilling. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: There's no denying this is a coldly commanding tale in which Haneke's signature obsessions simmer quietly as subtext before bursting into the open in the final reels. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: It's an M. Night Shyamalan movie with a PhD. Or maybe an MA. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: Writer-director Michael Haneke doesn't pull any punches, but then he doesn't throw any wild ones, either. His filmmaking shows precisely the sort of obsession with control that the movie itself is denouncing. Interesting, you've got to admit. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: Set in a German village on the eve of World War I, The White Ribbon treats a dozen characters so coldly they could be rats in a maze. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: In crisp, painterly black-and-white, we see crops being gathered, snow falling on churches and homes, people gathered for school or Mass. What's not seen, not even to the characters, is their own undoing. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: Though no violence worse than a slap is ever shown being committed, The White Ribbon is so steeped in the awful that the proper response is a shudder. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: The White Ribbon doesn't resonate at all. The filmmaker's doom-laden view of humanity -- that we are all unredeemably awful creatures, easily swayed to do dastardly things -- oozes with contempt. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: The quintessential art film: slow, demanding, and rewarding for those willing to put forth the intellectual effort necessary to puzzle out its ambiguities. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: I wonder if Haneke's point is that we grow so disturbed by danger that we will surrender freedom -- even demand to. Do we feel more secure in an orderly state? Many do. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Haneke's success in maintaining tension is especially impressive in that he does it despite a loose narrative and the necessity of juggling a dozen characters. Read more

Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The White Ribbon is a stark, contemplative and hauntingly brilliant film. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: The film, even while drawing us into its creepy web, also disappoints. Read more

TIME Magazine: This is among the most luminous and painterly of black-and-white films, but what's portrayed will shock or numb you. Read more

Dave Calhoun, Time Out: It's [Haneke's] least aggressive and most mature film - a masterpiece from a director who is increasingly making a habit of them. Read more

Stanley Kauffmann, The New Republic: As for Haneke's handling of the material, his directing is immaculate. Every moment is the product of a penetrating mind and a steady talent. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: Its austere gloom feels oppressive and monotonous, undercutting its psychological impact. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Variety: Immaculately crafted in beautiful black-and-white and entirely absorbing through its longish running time. Read more

J. Hoberman, Village Voice: It's his best ever. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: The White Ribbon lunges hungrily for serious art-film credibility. Don't be fooled. Read more