A series of events unfold like a chain reaction, all stemming from a minor event that brings the film's five characters together. Set in Paris, France, Anne is an actress whose boyfriend Georges photographs the war in Kosovo. Georges' brother, Jean, is looking for the entry code to Georges' apartment. These characters' lives interconnect with a Romanian immigrant and a deaf teacher.
Direction
Haneke's long takes force you to witness, not consume.
Writing
Dialogue so natural it feels stolen from strangers.
Director
Michael Haneke
Juliette Binoche
Anne Laurent
Thierry Neuvic
Georges
Josef Bierbichler
Bauer
Alexandre Hamidi
Jean
Maimouna Hélène Diarra
Aminate
Djibril Kouyaté
The Father
Luminița Gheorghiu
Maria
Crenguța Hariton
Irina
Bob Nicolescu
Dragos
Bruno Todeschini
Pierre
Paulus Manker
Perrin
Didier Flamand
The Director
Walid Afkir
The Young Arab
Maurice Bénichou
The Old Arab
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The 'code unknown' refers to the apartment entry code Jean forgets, but Haneke meant it metaphorically: we never truly access each other's inner lives.
That unbroken ten-minute subway scene with Binoche? Shot in real time on a moving train with hidden cameras—passengers didn't know they were in a film.
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