Hidden (Cache)

HIDDEN (CACHé)
ARTIFICIAL EYE
RELEASED 27 January 2006
Arguably the best film shown at Cannes in 2005 (although rewarded, it didn’t carry off the top prize which went to ‘L’Enfant’). Georges (Daniel Auteuil) hosts a book review show on TV, and lives a comfortable life in Paris with his wife (Julliette Binoche) and teenage son. When a video turns up on their doorstep showing the exterior of their house and little else, it appears someone is threatening the family, but for no obvious reason. Another tape arrives, again shot inexplicably close to the house, as does a postcard with a childish drawing of a boy splashed in blood red ink. As the police won’t help due to no actual threat being made, the pressure on Georges and his family becomes unbearable. Georges decides to take matters into his own hands.
Taken as a straightforward thriller, ‘Hidden’ works brilliantly, creating a sense of sweaty-palmed fear rarely experienced in the cinema. As the camera slowly moves behind and alongside Georges, it genuinely feels like danger is always just around the corner, even right up until the very last scene, which on it’s own would seem like the most unassuming thing in the world, but by the end of the movie you’re expecting anything! This is partly down to a moment in the film that had the audience loudly gasp and scream in utter shock. I don’t think there was a more shocking moment in all of 2006. You’ll know it when you see it.
What isn’t expected, at least from someone who isn’t familiar with Austrian director Michael Haneke’s work, is the political element of the film. You can enjoy the film simply as a thriller, and then you can delve deeper beneath the surface to encounter questions of colonialism, racism, and collective responsibility. Georges is actually a microcosm of France. It feels like this is the real meat and potatoes of the movie, which leads to my only criticism. Without giving too much away, the cleverness of the thriller aspect is never explained, leading me to believe the intricate plot of ‘Hidden’ actually hasn’t been fully developed. Leaving the viewer to decipher too much, I came away exhilerated but extremely frustrated. You can argue about what actually happens, but there is simply not enough evidence in the movie to know for sure.
So if you like your movies wrapped up neatly in a bow, ‘Hidden’ may disappoint you. However, if you like heaps of ambiguity and a good argument after the film, you won’t find a more ambiguous film all year. And don’t forget the big shock.
FOUR OUT OF FIVE