Hidden agenda
- Cache
- A beautifully shot French suspense film with many twists and few answers.
The English translation of the French movie “Cache” is “Hidden.” Ironically, this movie is left way too open for even my taste.
I like any kind of art that provokes intellectual stimulation, even if sometimes that stimulation comes with no conclusions or answers. Usually, I abide by the belief that the more abstract the art, the better, or the more surreal the art, the better. Blurring the line between reality and non-reality is always fun too, unless you’re featured in Oprah’s Book Club.
So why did I feel empty leaving “Cache?”
I must warn you: I was not alone in this assessment. Many people in the theater were shocked by the “end” of the movie, as it didn’t seem that anything had been wrapped up at all. And this was Lincoln Plaza Cinemas on the Upper West Side of New York City where typically the audience will make sure to pretend they follow along even if they don’t have the slightest clue what the fuck is going on. In this instance, when the credits started rolling, the theater was full of puzzled looks to the left, and then to the right that were accompanied by stupefied laughter.
That’s not to say I didn’t take something away from “Cache” (I just wasn’t about to pull one of those “I’m full!” shouts like in the Taco Bell ads). The directing was marvelous, as Michael Haneke, who also wrote the movie, built up suspense like no filmmaker I can remember in recent years. He also played wonderful tricks on the mind with certain illusions. This was my first Haneke venture, but after seeing “Cache,” as unfulfilling as it ultimately was, I’m eager to go through his earlier works (i.e., “The Piano Teacher,” “The Time of the Wolf,” “Funny Games”).
The first shot in “Cache” is the outside of some apartment building, but very soon it’s clear that this is not a live view, but a tape that is being watched by people that live in the building. A husband and a wife are watching the most recent video tape of the outside of their apartment they have received anonymously. It goes on for hours and includes a shot of the husband leaving for work. It’s clear they are being stalked.
David Lynch fans no doubt notice an obvious influence here. In the early scenes of 1997’s “Lost Highway,” a yuppie couple is sent anonymous tapes of the outside of their house that get progressively frightening. That’s about the most coherent thing that happens in that movie though (Lynch films tend to get a little abstract as well).
Daniel Auteuil plays the main character, Georges Laurent, who seems to be the target of the stalker’s attention. Laurent is a bit of a celebrity, as he hosts a literary review show on TV. But he also has dark memories from his childhood that are alluded to on the packages of the tapes he receives. This past, which gives him nightmares, soon convinces Laurent that he knows who is the source of the stalking, but his search just gets more complex with each step.
So the buildup is cool, and the intriguing mystery is there, along with some truly creepy scenes, but it never takes you anywhere, never transcends the set-up, which I guess is a common flaw in movies. But whereas most movies fuck up in trying to finish a story, Haneke does this intentionally. He wants to keep you guessing and keep messing with your assumptions.
However, after a couple bumps in the hunt for the stalker, it’s hard to maintain interest, as it becomes clear the plot is going nowhere and it’s more a study in psychological torture… for us and them.
