Haneke's feature debut was this intensely controlled tale of everyday
mass suicide. In the first half, we see a seemingly happy middle-class
urban family going about their business, though there's something
about Haneke's oblique, claustrophobic style - lengthy scenes where
we never see anyone's face; the ominous rumble of a car wash - that
suggests something not quite right. The undercurrents of tension and
alienation build until they decide - father, mother and young daughter
- to smash up their home, piece by shattered piece, and then kill
themselves. Sounds grim, but when the orgy of self-destruction
erupts, it feels like a joyful release, strangely cathartic and
uplifting.
