Cine Club

Wedensday 4 March 2015 at 20:00
CERN Council Chamber

The Seventh Continent

Directed by Michael Haneke - Austria, 1989, 110 minutes

Based on a true story, Haneke’s first theatrical feature is a disturbing portrait of familial disintegration which he describes as a depiction of his native Austria’s « progressive emotional glaciation ».  Set over a three year period, it documents how the mundane day to day routines of a middle class family alienate them from the world and each other until, suddenly and shockingly, their lives self-destruct.  Addressing themes that would inform much of his later work – the breakdown of society, violence and the media – « The Seventh Continent » is both intelligent and masterfully composed.

Original version German; English subtitles

Wednesday 11 March 2015 at 20:00
CERN Council Chamber

71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance

Directed by Michael Haneke - Austria, 1995, 100 minutes

Haneke’s articulate critique of the isolating effects of western society, the media and television in particular, is composed of an intricate series of unrelated scenes, culminating in an apparently motiveless act of violence.  Perfectly paced and executed, Haneke’s skilful weaving of these tableaux into a coherent and compelling whole is mesmerizing and strangely beautiful.

Original version German; English subtitles

by Cine Club