Focus

The Seventh Continent

1 hr. 44 min. | Drama | N-16

A family of three seem to lead a normal, boring, routine life. The only interruptions they face are the collisions with mundane problems. We see sparing conversations followed by the patterns of objects’ silhouettes. The only thing that slightly changes is their place. Eventually, from the orderly facade of routine rise tension and anxiety. The viewer gets a hunch that the calm scenes on the screen serve as cynical deception. The anthropologist of violence Michael Haneke begins his “Glaciation Trilogy” with “The Seventh Continent”. The trilogy has become a very detailed study on estrangement in nowadays society and its consequences.

Michael Haneke

Michael Haneke

Michael Haneke studied philosophy, psychology, and theatre science in Vienna. In 1967-1970 he worked for German television. He shot the trilogy “The Seventh Continent” (1989), “Benny’s Video” (1992), and “71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance” (1994), in which he presents alienated individuals through an image of their frustrations. When Haneke made his debut film, “The Seventh Continent”, he was already forty-seven. That is exactly why even his very first films demonstrate creative maturity and a unique cinematic language, which made him one of the today’s most outstanding cinema artists. His films “The White Ribbon” and “Love” won Palme d‘Or in Cannes Film Festival, while “Love” has also won an “Oscar” as the Best Foreign Language Film.
Languages
German, French, English
Subtitles
Lithuanian
Original title
Der siebente Kontinent
Produced
1989: Austria

Film information

Director
Michael Haneke
Producers
Veit Heiduschka
Screenplay
Michael Haneke, Johanna Teicht
Music
Alban Berg
Cinematography
Anton Peschke
Cast
Dieter Berner, Birgit Doll, Leni Tanzer
More information
www.imdb.com
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