Le Temps du loup

Set somewhere in Europe in what appears to be the near future, Haneke's apocalyptic fable takes a rigorously realistic approach to material all too often compromised by hackneyed spectacle and sensationalism, simply tracing a family's attempts to survive in a countryside deprived (for reasons wisely left unexplained) of electricity and clean water. Darkness is the film's dominant metaphor, underlining not only the uncertainty felt by Isabelle Huppert, her two kids, and those they encounter on their travels in search of food, safety and something resembling normal‚ civilisation‚ but also the terrifying threat of absolute solitude. Since Haneke refuses to provide the usual dramatic climaxes, the film demands an attentive curiosity from the viewer not required by more conventionally generic fare, but the strategy has its rewards, not least in the unexpected emotional force of the final two scenes.