Code Unknown Analysis

Code Unknown (2000)

Written and Directed by: Michael Haneke
Starring: Juliette Binoche

The film is like an anthology - dealing with different stories, although these characters have a brief encounter in the film. They use extended long shots in the film many times, I'd like to write about one of the first scenes in the film. It is a long shot in the exteriors where Anne and Jean are talking while they are walking - the camera moves parallel to them majorly following Anne - capturing the action objectively without creating any dramatic effect - the best part is that after they part, and Jeans turns back and walks - the camera now follows Jean, it also goes back along with him and follows him as he throws a piece of garbage at a woman - and when Amadou, who confronts him for the same, enters the frame because the perspective is still with Jean - a fight happens, people gather up and when Amadou is about to bring the woman to gather proof, Jean tries to walk away from the scene, and the camera follows Jean and then Amadou again enters the frame and tries to stop him - and finally the police arrives at the scene and arrest Amadou (he's black).

The color, and the look of the film felt so contemporary - the camera movements are seamless, the focus is on point at every moment even in the long shots. The lack of a conventional narrative didn't pinch me as much because I honestly didn't expect one, and also because the storytelling in each segment hooked me and I wasn't exactly looking for something beyond that. Some of these scenes in standalone, could probably be extraordinary short films - especially the first scene which I wrote about and the one where the beggar has a breakdown at her hometown. I'd have been more satisfied if I could figure a connecting theme to all the stories, it was an interesting experience nevertheless.