Caché

How do we deal with our guilt, our skeletons long forgotten. How many of us can say we have nothing to hide, no distant shame we’ve tried desperately to rid from our memories. What if we were suddenly reminded, confronted with the weight of our guilt, would we accept it, or run to excuse or denial. This is the core theme of Micheal Haneke’s “Caché”. The film focuses on Georges, who begins to receive mysterious videotapes, wrapped in children’s drawings harkening back to his treatment of Majid, the son of Algerian workers at his family’s estate who was orphaned due to the 1962 Seine massacre. Georges lied about him to avoid his parents adopting the child, leading Majid to end up at an orphanage, with any chance of decent education and comfortable life gone. Haneke focuses on this guilt and Georges struggle to accept it. We also see a sense of French collective guilt, at its colonialism and brutality across the world. Haneke’s thoughtful and deeply realistic approach further contribute to this masterpiece of cinema