"Cache" (Haneke, 2005)

“Cache” (2005) is yet another probing exploration of intermediation from filmmaker Michael Haneke, who has taken it upon himself to make self-awareness a pre-requisite to the majority of his work. Here, as in “Funny Games” (1997), Haneke manipulates video into his film as a source of confusion. On more than one occasion, Haneke challenges his audience to contemplate the subjectivity and point-of-view of his camera. In doing so, Haneke magnifies his themes of surveillance. Rather than turning to religious perspectives where he could have easily drawn from stories such as “Sodom and Gomorrah” where God is the source of guilt, Haneke explores Hitchcockian mystery with an anonymous stranger who torments a seemingly functional upper class family. The performances and Haneke’s examination of guilt add a sense of urgency to this unpleasant, but fascinating film.

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