Le temps du loup (2003)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Michael Haneke

Writer:

Michael Haneke (writer)

Release Date:

8 October 2003 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

When Anna and her family arrive at their holiday home, they find it occupied by strangers. This confrontation is just the beginning of a painful learning process.

Plot Keywords:

Stranger | Goat | Search | Sleeping | Train

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Isabelle Huppert	...	Anne Laurent
Béatrice Dalle	...	Lise Brandt
Patrice Chéreau	...	Thomas Brandt
Rona Hartner	...	Arina
Maurice Bénichou	...	M. Azoulay
Olivier Gourmet	...	Koslowski
Brigitte Roüan	...	Béa
Lucas Biscombe	...	Ben
Hakim Taleb	...	Young runaway
Anaïs Demoustier	...	Eva
Serge Riaboukine	...	The leader
Marilyne Even	...	Mme Azoulay
Florence Loiret	...	Nathalie Azoulay (as Florence Loiret-Caille)
Branko Samarovski	...	Policeman
Daniel Duval	...	Georges Laurent

Also Known As:

The Time of the Wolf (UK)
Wolfzeit (Germany)
El tiempo del lobo (Argentina) (festival title) [es]
Farkasok ideje (Hungary) [hu]
Il tempo dei lupi (Italy) [it]
Kurdun günü (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
O Tempo do Lobo (Brazil) (festival title) [pt]
Suden aika (Finland) [fi]
Vargens tid (Sweden) [sv]

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence, language and sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

France:113 min (Cannes Film Festival) | Hong Kong:113 min (Hong Kong International Film Festival) | Argentina:114 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente) | USA:114 min

Country:

France | Austria | Germany

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby SR

Certification:

New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Italy:T | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Großmittel, Ebenfurth, Lower Austria, Austria

Company:

Bavaria Film

Movie Connections:

References Andrey Rublyov (1966)

Dark and involving mood piece

Haneke's nightmare vision of a post-apocalyptic world is darkly atmospheric and beautifully photographed. True, there isn't much of a plot and the pace is slow. The film is primarily a mood piece, but a very good one. Unlike the usual end-of-the-world thriller, the characters aren't facing any ghoulish monsters other than each other. This approach lends a striking realism to the movie.

Some of Haneke's films -- especially "Funny Games" -- are marred by heavy-handed social commentary. Happily, this is not a problem in "Time of the Wolf." One can always read politics into any allegory, but it is quite unnecessary in this film. I neither know nor care whether Haneke had a specific political situation in mind; what matters is that the resulting movie stands on its own as an artistic achievement.

8/10. Recommended for fans of grim, moody films.