Michael

Michael works at an insurance company. He is quiet at work, orderly and unremarkable. His house has a cellar and he keeps a ten year old boy in it. The film does not build this as a mystery; from the first minute what is happening is clear. Instead the narrative shows daily life: meals are made, television is watched, a holiday is planned and a promotion is discussed at the office. The camera passes no comment and no music rises in any scene. Markus Schleinzer writes and directs. Michael Fuith plays Michael. It is an Austrian production. Schleinzer cast films in Austrian cinema for many years and this is his first work as a director. It played in the main competition at Cannes. The narrative's choice is distance; violence is not shown and the viewer understands what happens from outside the door. Its most uncomfortable side is ordinariness; the narrative builds no monster and shows that this has become a routine. That approach divided the reviews; some writers found the film cold while others saw the method as the only right one. It belongs to the line in Austrian cinema that treats such subjects coldly. Who it is for: viewers who deliberately choose European art cinema and distanced narration. Who it is not for: the subject is extremely heavy, the narrative gives no consolation, and it is hard to watch.