Benny's Video

unlike Cache where Georges is a man who is undoubtedly drowning in guilt, the heart of Benny’s Video is the mystery behind Benny’s guilt. does he feel it or does he only see the consequences behind his actions? i think this movie is open to many interpretations but what i perceived while watching this movie was that he was never really guilty. Arno’s acting here is absolutely impeccable. when Benny is asked questions about his video and what he did, if anyone saw, he conveys the emotion of embarrassment and shame perfectly without ever bringing guilt into the mix. Benny can’t look up to his parents, acknowledging the sudden shift in power, he is no longer in charge, he can no longer exploit someone’s naivety for his own gain. the fact that Arno was 14 while making this made me question my whole life choices and my chudlite ways but whatever. the last 40 minutes were stolen by Angela Winkter for me. the way she portrays guilt is absolutely disgustingly humane. i think this movie shifted very well from Benny to Anna. she is broken in choosing between herself, her morality, her vocation and whay is right, and between her flesh and blood, her son and her loyalty to him. when she begins to laugh when talking about dismembering the body and flushing it down, that’s when it clicked to me that she was truly in denial of this happening but she had to force herself to face it and accept that her son could do something like this. the ending of Benny’s Video is a lot like the ending of Cache. we are left wondering what is going to happen next? why is Pierrot talking to Majid’s son? what are they talking about? what is going to happen to Benny? what is next? and then the movie ends right there. i think Cache and Benny’s Video are parallels in a bigger way than cinematic universe. they are the two spectrums of the same emotion: guilt. one where it is felt so immensely that it breaks a man down, and two, where it’s felt rarely and but effects everyone around him. p.s: i also think it’s kind of interesting that Benny was reading Uncle Roger comics and watching Muppets after the girl said that she likes cartoons. i don’t particularly think it was guilt, i think it was more of a way to reminisce or reminding himself about her. Benny is a sick person, him recording his mother in Egypt, and committing impulsive, reckless crimes, is just the tip of the iceberg. but i still thought it was interesting.