Time of the Wolf (2002/2004) (AKA Le
temps du loup, The Time of the Wolf, Wolfzeit)
One of the best thing about being
a movie lover is getting to see a new movie that you
know absolutely nothing about. Especially when it
has a story and scenario that unfolds as slowly and
as intriguingly as "Time of the Wolf." These days
the hype preceding a film, including trailers, media
hype, TV interviews, magazine articles and website
spoiler sites, makes it almost impossible to see a
film in a theater or on DVD without knowing a lot
about it beforehand. When you love movies as much
as I do, you can't help but know a little bit about
them before you see them.
I've tried to avoid this as much
as possible since I saw "The
Blair Witch Project." There's a film that must
be awesome to see without knowing anything about it
beforehand. The very nature of the film truly requires
one to not know whether it is real or not. But the
hype preceding the film made it virtually impossible
to see it knowing nothing about it. Just knowing it
was fiction before you see it spoils what intrigue
it might have.
I bring all this up because I was
able to see "Time of the Wolf" on DVD knowing absolutely
nothing about it except that it was fiction, and it
starred Isabelle Huppert and was directed by Michael
Haneke, the guy who helmed the film that introduced
me to her, "The
Piano Teacher." And that is really all you should
really know before you see this amazing film. Take
my word for it. Stop reading right now and find a
copy of this masterpiece. Don't read anything about
it before you see it. It's interesting story and perfectly
written script will keep you glued to the TV for the
100 minutes it takes to unfold. Don't read any further.
I'm going to give away much about the film in the
rest of the review and you don't want to know anything
about this film before you see it. Trust me.
Note for those who can't read between
the lines: The rest of this review contains numerous
spoilers.
For those of you who have seen the
film, you have already been blown away by the story
here. From the opening moments in the cabin, our minds
are twisted and contorted around this story as the
slow and absorbing plot unfolds before us. The slow
pace is easily accommodated by the viewer because
the visuals here are so stunning. The story unfolds
like a fable as we begin to realize that we are witnessing
events that take place somewhere in the near yet post-apocalyptic
future.
What is most wonderful about this
film, of course, is just how realistic it is. There
is no overt dramatics and no histrionics. This is
especially wonderful since our two main protagonists,
the mother and daughter here, are both females. The
interpersonal relationships between the characters
here are rarely intense and never radically emotional.
In fact, what makes the film even
more terrifying and more intense is that the main
characters here are rarely the victims of crime (after
the opening sequence) but rather usually silent witnesses
to it. An empathy with them evolves because they,
like we, seem to be nothing more than spectators in
a world gone out of control.
This is a realistic film in that
there are monsters and abusers but they are rarely
the stereotypical villains of films of this type.
Compare the nomadic tribe that invades our protagonists
train station here to the over-the-top soldiers who
populate the climax of Danny Boyle's "28
Days Later." This is the difference between screenwriting
and writing. Boyle is interested in conflict and overtly
dramatic intensity. Haneke is interested in honesty
and reality. This subdued and distanced approach may
seem less interesting on the surface but ultimately
becomes much more rewarding as we realize that the
latter is far more troubling. The villains here, like
the titular wolves, are not seen, remain unknown,
and this creates far more tension and dramatic strength
than a madman with a machine gun or a lustful rapist
with nothing more than overpowering a weak female
on his mind.
"Time of the Wolf" builds to one
of the most devastating and emotionally charged climaxes
that one can imagine for the film and then writer/director
Haneke does something amazing. He stops it from happening.
He inverts the climax and in the process creates one
even more complex and troubling. One that is also,
at the same time, the embodiment of the reality of
being human and alive on planet Earth under any circumstances.
A climax that, in the darkest of hours, embraces the
hopefulness and bravery of the human spirit. From
a distance, as a viewer, the effect is both troubling
and beautifully heartening,
Again, this film is nothing short
of a masterpiece. A triumph of filmmaking and storytelling.
Notes:
In French with subtitles and Polish
without, since the French characters here do not understand
the Polish speakers.
Viewed on a DVD provided by Palm
Pictures in December 2004.
