Mainstream cinema raises questions only to immediately provide an answer to them, so they can send the spectator home reassured. If we actually had those answers, then society would appear very different from what it is.
Michael HanekeRead
Films that are entertainments give simple answers but I think that's ultimately more cynical, as it denies the viewer room to think. If there are more answers at the end, then surely it is a richer experience.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that films providing complex narratives are more enriching than those that offer simplistic resolutions.
Michael Haneke implies that films that merely entertain by providing easy answers are ultimately less fulfilling. He believes that when films provoke thought and offer multiple perspectives, they create a deeper and more meaningful experience for viewers, allowing them to engage intellectually and emotionally with the material presented.
Themes
FilmsEntertainmentThoughtExperienceAnswers
In practice
Example use cases
In a film discussion group, one might reference this quote to highlight the importance of deeper storytelling.
More from Michael Haneke
All quotes →All movies assault the viewer in one way or another.
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When I first envisioned 'Funny Games' in the mid-1990s, it was my intention to have an American audience watch the movie. It is a reaction to a certain American cinema, its violence, its naivety, the way American cinema toys with human beings. In many American films, violence is made consumable.
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