The White Ribbon

Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon won the Palme d’Or in Cannes this year. Set in a Protestant northern German village on the eve of World War I, the film tells the story of the children and teenagers of a choir run by the village schoolteacher, and their families: the baron, the steward, the pastor, the doctor, the midwife, the tenant farmers. A series of inexplicable events and accidents occur and disturb the quiet village life, gradually taking on the character of a punishment ritual. The schoolteacher observes, investigates and little by little discovers the incredible truth, recounting the events years later.(Available from 8 March 2010)