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"Cache" is a foreign thriller in the best tradition
of Hitchcock. Georges (Daniel Auteuil) and Anne (Juliette
Binchoe)have the perfect life until a series of tapes begin
showing up on their doorstep in plastic bags. The tapes
are uninterrupted shots of the front of their house, a farmhouse
where Georges grew up and other areas where they have visited
and/or lived previously. Georges goes to the police but
discovers that these pranks aren't against the law even
if they are they are a form of stalking. The title really
tells you more about the film in some respects than the
film itself--what's most important is what is "hidden" or
kept from the audience by the director and Georges himself
once he begins to piece together things in his mind. Unsettled
and without anywhere to turn for help Georges decides to
take matters into his own hands in effect changing their
life forever. I should warn you that this isn't a traditional
thriller with all the mystery solved and everything neatly
tied up in the end. Its been said by others that there are
plenty of clues that show the heart of this mystery but
I believe the mystery itself (like that in "Vertigo" or
"Rear Window" both films very much comparable in that respect)the
"McGuffin" as Hitchcock called it isn't as important as
the changes the characters go through because of the mystery
that drives the film. Haneke probably doesn't know or care
what the real reason is just that it changes the characters
in unexpected revealing ways. So don't go into this film
expecting an easy resolution--there isn't one. Haneke's
film is more about the journey that Georges and Anne take
than the destination itself. ***
"Cache" demands the viewers attention without a promise
of a pay off. Director Michael Haneke makes us, in many
respects, both identify with the stalker and Georges & Anne;
we are deeply unsettled by this mystery but we also observe
it much as the person taking the videotapes on the outside
watching things coldly and with calculation. The most important
element revealed in "Cache" is not the identify or the reason
for this strange form of stalking but the quality of the
person being observed. The reaction to these strange videos
reveal far more about the character of Georges and Anne
than anything else. It reveals who they are underneath their
veneer of civility and the more we learn that we truly don't
knew these characters as they present themselve to each
other and us. ---
Image & Sound:
The film looks nearly flawless in its presentation
on DVD. Colors accurate throughout and I didn't detect any
hints of compression artifacts. Shot on digital video the
movie looks extremely good. The 5.0 soundtrack sounds quite
good using the format to good effect even though this isn't
an action movie but is more dialogue driven. ---
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