‘Michael Haneke’

Dialogue about ethics in the films of Haneke

Michael Haneke will talk with the French author and psychoanalyst Sarah Chiche on the subject of Éthique du Mikado. In this essay, she studies the theme of evil in the work of the Austrian director, well-known for films like Amour and Caché. Éthique du Mikado depicts the dark side of humanity; a descent into hell which gets you thinking about ethical matters in cinema, and in particular, in Haneke's films.

After the discussion you get to watch Lemminge, Teil 1. Arkadien, a rarely shown film by Michael Haneke
(AT, 1979, 113’, OV, st EN)
This early film by Haneke contains a lot of themes which will be further developed in his later works. Haneke paints a dramatic portrait of the ‘lost generation’ in post-Second World War Austria. At the time the Nazi era and desperation in society were kept under wraps. Warmth was a sign of weakness, sexuality was equated with sinfulness. The submission to family, church and state forced young people into a cold and self-destructive resistance.